{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_42273/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_42273","id":"gutenberg_42273","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/42273","summary":null,"tags":["Bible. Peter -- Commentaries","Category: Religion/Spirituality"],"text":"Transcriber's note:\n\nText enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_).\n\nText enclosed by equal signs is in bold face (=bold=).\n\nSmall capital text has been replaced with all capitals.\n\nVariations in spelling, punctuation and hyphenation have been retained\nexcept in obvious cases of typographical error.\n\nIn the book a dagger symbol appears before certain numbers. This\nrefers to date of death. In this file the plus symbol (+)\nsignifies a dagger symbol.\n\nThe cover for the eBook version of this book was created by the\ntranscriber and is placed in the public domain.\n\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\n\n  THE EXPOSITOR'S BIBLE\n\n  EDITED BY THE REV.\n  W. ROBERTSON NICOLL, M.A., LL.D.\n  _Editor of \"The Expositor\"_\n\n  THE EPISTLES OF ST. PETER\n\n  BY\n\n  J. RAWSON LUMBY, D.D.\n\n  London\n  HODDER AND STOUGHTON\n  27, PATERNOSTER ROW\n\n  MDCCCXCIII\n\n\n\n\nTHE EXPOSITOR'S BIBLE.\n\n_Crown 8vo, cloth, price 7s. 6d. each vol._\n\nFIRST SERIES, 1887-8.\n\n  Colossians.\n    By A. MACLAREN, D.D.\n\n  St. Mark.\n    By Very Rev. the Dean of Armagh.\n\n  Genesis.\n    By Prof. MARCUS DODS, D.D.\n\n  1 Samuel.\n    By Prof. W. G. BLAIKIE, D.D.\n\n  2 Samuel.\n    By the same Author.\n\n  Hebrews.\n    By Principal T.C. EDWARDS, D.D.\n\n\nSECOND SERIES, 1888-9.\n\n  Galatians.\n    By Prof. G. G. FINDLAY, B.A.\n\n  The Pastoral Epistles.\n    By Rev. A. PLUMMER, D.D.\n\n  Isaiah I.--XXXIX.\n    By G. A. SMITH, M.A. Vol. I.\n\n  The Book of Revelation.\n    By Prof. W. MILLIGAN, D.D.\n\n  1 Corinthians.\n    By Prof. MARCUS DODS, D.D.\n\n  The Epistles of St. John.\n    By Rt. Rev. W. ALEXANDER, D.D.\n\n\nTHIRD SERIES, 1889-90.\n\n  Judges and Ruth.\n    By Rev. R. A. WATSON, D.D.\n\n  Jeremiah.\n    By Rev. C. J. BALL, M.A.\n\n  Isaiah XL.--LXVI.\n    By G. A. SMITH, M.A. Vol. II\n\n  St. Matthew.\n    By Rev. J. MONRO GIBSON, D.D.\n\n  Exodus.\n    By Very Rev. the Dean of Armagh.\n\n  St. Luke.\n    By Rev. H. BURTON, M.A.\n\n\nFOURTH SERIES, 1890-1.\n\n  Ecclesiastes.\n    By Rev. SAMUEL COX, D.D.\n\n  St. James and St. Jude.\n    By Rev. A. PLUMMER, D.D.\n\n  Proverbs.\n    By Rev. R. F. HORTON, M.A.\n\n  Leviticus.\n    By Rev. S. H. KELLOGG, D.D.\n\n  The Gospel of St. John.\n    By Prof. M. DODS, D.D. Vol. I.\n\n  The Acts of the Apostles.\n    By Prof. STOKES, D.D. Vol. I.\n\n\nFIFTH SERIES, 1891-2.\n\n  The Psalms.\n    By A. MACLAREN, D.D. Vol. I.\n\n  1 and 2 Thessalonians.\n    By JAMES DENNEY, B.D.\n\n  The Book of Job.\n    By R. A. WATSON, D.D.\n\n  Ephesians.\n    By Prof. G. G. FINDLAY, B.A.\n\n  The Gospel of St. John.\n    By Prof. M. DODS, D.D. Vol. II.\n\n  The Acts of the Apostles.\n    By Prof. STOKES, D.D. Vol. II.\n\n\nSIXTH SERIES, 1892-3.\n\n  1 Kings.\n    By Ven. Archdeacon FARRAR.\n\n  Philippians.\n    By Principal RAINY, D.D.\n\n  Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther.\n    By Prof. W. F. ADENEY, M.A.\n\n  Joshua.\n    By Prof. W. G. BLAIKIE, D.D.\n\n  The Psalms.\n    By A. MACLAREN, D.D. Vol. II.\n\n  The Epistles of St. Peter.\n    By Prof. RAWSON LUMBY, D.D.\n\n\nSEVENTH SERIES, 1893-4.\n\n  2 Kings.\n    By Ven. Archdeacon FARRAR.\n\n  Romans.\n    By H. C. G. MOULE, M.A.\n\n  1 Chronicles.\n    By Prof. W. H. BENNETT, M.A.\n\n  2 Corinthians.\n   By JAMES DENNEY, B.D.\n\n  Numbers.\n    By R. A. WATSON, D.D.\n\n  The Psalms.\n    By A. MACLAREN, D.D. Vol. III.\n\n\n\n\n  THE\n\n  EPISTLES OF ST. PETER\n\n\n  BY\n  J. RAWSON LUMBY, D.D.\n\n  LADY MARGARET PROFESSOR OF DIVINITY IN THE UNIVERSITY OF\n  CAMBRIDGE\n\n\n  LONDON\n  HODDER AND STOUGHTON\n  27, PATERNOSTER ROW\n\n  MDCCCXCIII\n\n_Printed by Hazell, Watson, & Viney, Ld., London and Aylesbury._\n\n\n\n\nPREFACE\n\n\nThe two letters which bear the name of St. Peter have from the\nearliest times met with very different degrees of acceptance. The\ngenuineness of the First Epistle is attested by the unanimous voice of\nprimitive Christendom. As it is addressed to Christians dwelling in\ndifferent parts of Asia Minor, it is natural to look for a knowledge\nof it in those countries. And nowhere is it earlier noticed. Polycarp,\nBishop of Smyrna, a contemporary of the last surviving Apostle, and\nwhose martyrdom took place about the middle of the second century, has\nrepeated quotations from this Epistle. It was known also to Papias (+\n163), Bishop of Hierapolis, and to Melito (170), Bishop of Sardis.\nThat it was known to the Greeks is seen from the Epistle to Diognetus,\nwhich for a long time was attributed to Justin Martyr (+ 165), while\nthe \"Shepherd\" of Hermas, written at Rome, testifies that it was known\nthere also at about the same date. The inclusion of it in the\nPeschito-Syriac Version bears witness to its early circulation in the\nEastern Church, as also does its quotation in the writings of\nTheophilus of Antioch (178). Heretics, no less than the faithful,\nregarded it as a portion of authoritative Christian literature.\nBasilides in Alexandria and the Marcosians and Theodotus in Syria all\nknew of and cited this Epistle. The Latin Church of Africa accepted\nit, as we can see from a few quotations in Tertullian (+ 218) and a\ngreater number in the writings of Cyprian (+ 258). In the Alexandrian\nChurch it is often quoted by both Clement (+ 218) and Origen (+ 254);\nwhile for Gaul we have the testimony of the Church of Vienne in the\ntouching letter sent by the Christians there to their \"brethren in\nAsia and Phrygia\" (177), and of Iren\u00e6us, who was Bishop of Lyons\nshortly afterwards, and who, coming from Asia to fill that see, is a\nwitness both for the East and the West. From the Christian Church of\nthe early centuries it is hardly possible to produce stronger\nattestation.\n\nBut although so abundantly vouched for in ancient days, the Epistle\nhas not been exempt from the assaults of modern criticism. Primitive\nChristendom regarded St. Peter, St. John, and St. Paul as heralds of\none and the same Gospel, founded on the same promises, strengthened by\nthe same faith. They were at one in what they taught and what they\nopposed. But some modern thinkers, taking as a thesis that the Gospel\nas set forth by the Apostle of the circumcision differed widely from\nthe doctrines of St. Paul, have proceeded to make an eclectic\nChristian literature, out of which the First Epistle of St. Peter has\nbeen rejected. Its language is too much in harmony with accepted\nwritings of St. Paul. It can only have been compiled by some later\nhand to promote the opinion that there was no discord between the\nteachings of the first Christian preachers. Moreover, it is\ninconceivable, they consider, that a letter should be addressed by St.\nPeter to the Christians in those very lands where the missionary\nlabours of St. Paul had been specially exerted, where the converts\nwere in a peculiar sense his \"little children.\"\n\nNow in this first letter of St. Peter there is unquestionably much\nthat corresponds in tone with the Epistle to the Romans, especially\nwith the twelfth and thirteenth chapters. In both letters Christians\nare exhorted to offer their bodies as spiritual sacrifices, to shun\nconformity with the world, to study to be sober in mind, and to use\nduly all the gifts which they possess; the same unfeigned love of the\nbrethren is inculcated, the same patience under suffering. Christians\nare not to retaliate, but to overcome evil with good; they are to be\nin subjection to all lawful authority, and this for conscience' sake,\nto avoid all excesses, rioting, drunkenness, chambering, and\nwantonness, and to be ever looking forward to the coming of the Lord.\n\nIn like manner there will be found numerous passages in St. Paul's\nEpistle to the Ephesians which in spirit and tone greatly resemble the\nwords of St. Peter. At the very outset St. Paul addresses his converts\nas \"chosen of God in Christ before the foundation of the world, that\nthey should be holy and without blemish before Him in love\"; tells\nthem that they were \"foreordained unto adoption as sons through Jesus\nChrist, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise and\nglory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on them in the Beloved\"\n(Eph. i. 3-6). Similarly St. Peter writes to \"the elect ... according\nto the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the\nSpirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ,\"\nand presently he adds that \"according to God's great mercy they were\nbegotten again by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead\" (i.\n1-3). In both epistles there is the same teaching, the same election\nin love, the same sonship, the same progress in holiness, the same\nfree gift through Jesus Christ. But in neither is there a word that\ncan be taken to militate against independent authorship. And the same\nremark applies to all the resemblances which exist between the two\nepistles in the exhortations to servants, wives, and husbands; in the\ncommendations of humility, pity, courtesy; in the entreaties to the\nbelievers to gird up the loins of the mind and to lay aside all malice\nand hatred; in those passages which speak of them as strangers and\npilgrims, as called from darkness to light, as being a spiritual\nhouse, built upon Christ as the head corner-stone. Of all these\nexhortations undoubted parallels are to be found; but they are only\nevidence of the common character which would pervade all the teaching\nof the apostolic missionaries where the people addressed were the\nsame, the times not far apart, and the dangers and temptations known\nalike to all the writers. Hence parallels to St. Peter may be found in\nSt. James too, but they are no proof that the one Apostle (or, as some\ncritics say, some one writing under his name) copied from the other.\n\nNor is it easy to see reason why St. Peter might not be expected to\nwrite a letter to the congregations formed first by St. Paul. No\nEvangelist or Apostle could publish the message of the Gospel--that\nis, the life and works--of Christ without telling of His chosen\nfollowers; and amongst them, if our Gospels be a true picture, St.\nPeter must ever have filled a prominent place. The Churches in Asia\nassuredly had heard much of him, and in a time of persecution or\nimpending trial nothing could be more fit than that the Apostle who\nhad been most prominent amid Christ's companions should write from\nBabylon or from Rome, it may be, where the signs of the times would\nproclaim most clearly the sufferings for which the Christian\ninhabitants of the provinces should be prepared, to encourage the\nbelievers in Asia to steadfastness and to remind them that the same\nafflictions were being accomplished in their brethren that were\nelsewhere in the world.\n\nThis was likely enough even had St. Peter never visited the districts\nto which his letter was addressed. But we seem to find traces of him\nin Corinth (1 Cor. ix. 5; cf. also xv. 5), and he certainly was not\nunknown by name to the Christians of that city. And if so, why need we\nquestion his journeying through Asia Minor? And he was aware of the\nlabours of his fellow-apostle. From personal intercourse and\ndiscussion, especially in connexion with the council at Jerusalem, he\nwould be sure that they were of one mind. It may be that he had learnt\nsomething of St. Paul's letters to the Churches. Under such\ncircumstances it is not foreign to St. Peter's character, nay rather\nquite in harmony with it, that he should fulfil the Lord's command to\n\"strengthen the brethren\"; that he should send them an earnest\nassurance that, spite of sufferings and trials, this was the true\ngrace of God, in which they should rejoice to stand.\n\nBut there are internal tokens in the Epistle which seem more powerful\nevidence of its genuineness than anything else. The writer calls\nhimself \"Peter, an Apostle of Jesus Christ\"; and he declares his\npersonality by touches and allusions which a forger would never have\nfabricated. Thus he says, \"All of you _gird yourselves_ with humility,\nto serve one another\" (v. 5). The verb which he employs here indicates\na sort of girding about with some towel or apron, which a slave put\non for doing some menial service. It is almost impossible that the\nwriter had not in his thoughts the act of Christ when He gave His\ngreat lesson of humility: \"If I have washed your feet, ye ought also\nto wash one another's feet.\"\n\nSo, too, the Master's exhortation, \"Feed My sheep,\" \"Feed My lambs,\"\ncomes to mind as we read, \"Tend the flock of God which is among you,\nexercising the oversight, not of constraint, but willingly\" (v. 2).\nAnd St. Peter's own words spoken in the house of Cornelius are\nreproduced when the Father is declared to be One \"who, without respect\nof persons, judgeth according to each man's work\" (i. 17).\n\nBut it is in the allusions to Christ's passion and resurrection, those\nevents which marked the deep fall and the rising again of St. Peter,\nthat the personality of the Apostle becomes most manifest. He has been\nhimself \"a witness of the sufferings of Christ\" (v. 1). He can speak\nas an eye-witness of the Lord's death in the flesh (iii. 18; iv. 1)\nand His quickening in the spirit; can exhort men to courage because\nthey are partakers of the sufferings of Christ (iv. 13). Who does not\nfeel that the writer of the words, \"Let them also that suffer\naccording to the will of God commit their souls in well-doing unto a\nfaithful Creator\" (iv. 19), is thinking of the scene on the cross, of\nthe Saviour's finished work, of the dying cry, \"Father, into Thy hands\nI commend My spirit\"?\n\nPerhaps the most striking instance of this peculiarity, this tendency\nto dwell on the events of the Passion, is found in ii. 19-24. Speaking\nto servants, he argues, \"What glory is it if when ye sin and _are\nbuffeted_ for it ye shall take it patiently?\" And having used the\nword by which the Evangelists describe (Matt. xxvi. 67; Mark xiv. 65)\nthe insults heaped upon the Lord at His trial, the writer is carried\naway in mind to the whole scene: \"He did no sin, neither was guile\nfound in His mouth; when He was reviled, He reviled not again; when He\nsuffered, He threatened not, but committed Himself to Him that judgeth\nrighteously; in His own self He bare our sins in His own body upon the\ntree, that we, having died unto sins, might live unto righteousness,\nby whose stripes ye were healed.\" And in the last clause especially we\nsee traces of one who had been present through the painful history.\nThe word rendered \"stripes\" means \"bruises\" or \"weals,\" such as come\nfrom savage blows, and is just the word which would occur to one who\nhad seen the bruised body taken down from the cross, but hardly to any\none else.\n\nAgain, the writer makes you feel without quoting that he has the words\nof Jesus constantly in his mind. Thus in the exhortation, \"Cast all\nyour anxiety upon God, for He careth for you\" (v. 7); when he says,\n\"If ye are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are ye\" (iv.\n14), or \"Be sober; be vigilant\" (v. 8), or \"Be sober unto prayer\" (iv.\n7), or commends \"not rendering evil for evil, or reviling for\nreviling, but contrariwise blessing\" (iii. 9), at each of the\nsentences--and the letter abounds with examples--there rise in the\nreader's mind some similar words of Christ, making him feel that he is\nperusing a writing of one to whom the Lord's language was abundantly\nfamiliar.\n\nWith the marks of personal character and associations meeting us\nconstantly, and with the unbroken consensus of antiquity in favour of\nSt. Peter's authorship, we shall not lightly allow speculations about\nhypothetical differences between the teaching of the Apostles of the\nGentiles and of the circumcision to disturb our acceptance of this\nletter for what it proclaims itself to be: the work of the Apostle St.\nPeter, of one who was himself a witness of the sufferings of Christ.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nOf the Second Epistle the whole history is very different. It appears\nto have been little known in the early Church, and is included by\nEusebius (330) among the \u1f00\u03bd\u03c4\u03b9\u03bb\u03b5\u03b3\u03cc\u03bc\u03b5\u03bd\u03b1, \"books to which\nobjection was raised\" as late as his day. It is true that in Clement\nof Rome there is a sentence (Ep. i., chap. xi.) which many have\naccepted as containing a clear allusion to the passage (2 Peter ii. 6,\n7) which speaks of Lot and the destruction of Sodom. And if this could\nbe demonstrated with certainty, it would be most valuable testimony.\nIt would prove the Epistle to have been accepted at a very early date\nand by the important Church in Rome. But we have so far to go before\nwe come upon any other notice that the silence makes us doubtful of\nthe evidence from Clement. Moreover, such other witness as we do find\nis not of a very direct character. Firmilian, Bishop of C\u00e6sarea, in\nCappadocia, about 256 A.D., in a letter of which a Latin version is\npreserved among the writings of Cyprian, uses words which probably\nindicate that he knew both the epistles of St. Peter; but he gives no\nquotation. The Second Epistle was no doubt meant for the same readers\nas the First; and that is addressed, among others, to the Christians\nof Cappadocia, so that there is no improbability in supposing the\nletter to have been early known there. Theophilus of Antioch (170)\nuses the comparison of the word to a lamp shining in a dark place in\nsuch a way as to give the impression that he knew the Epistle, and a\nsimilar possible reference is found in the writings of Ephrem Syrus\n(+ 378). Palladius (400), who was a friend of Chrysostom, and wrote at\nRome, makes a clear allusion to 2 Peter; and in the Apology of Melito,\nBishop of Sardis, there is a passage concerning the destruction of the\nworld by fire at the last day which is strikingly parallel to 2 Peter\niii. 5-7, and can hardly have been written without a knowledge of the\nEpistle.\n\nThis is a very small amount of early evidence, and among the more\nvoluminous writers of the first three centuries we find no mention of\nthe Epistle. We cannot, therefore, be surprised that by Eusebius it is\nclassed among the works of less acceptance. But the same fate befell\nlarger and more important writings than this Epistle. The Apocalypse\nand the Epistle to the Hebrews stand in the same list in Eusebius. And\nSt. Peter's second letter has not the same general interest as the\nfirst, and therefore is likely to have been less widely circulated;\nand this is all that Eusebius's classification means. The books were\nnot generally received because there was a less general knowledge of\ntheir existence and history.\n\nBut when the Church entered on the settlement of the New Testament\nCanon at the Council of Laodic\u00e6a (366), the Second Epistle of St.\nPeter was accepted; and no doubt there was evidence then before the\nassembled Fathers which time has now destroyed. Yet in the letter\nitself there are points which no doubt weighed with them, and which\nare patent to us as they were then. The writer claims to be St. Peter,\nan Apostle and the writer of a previous epistle. He speaks solemnly of\nhis death as near at hand; and still more solemn, when viewed as\nevidence, is the declaration that he had been one of the witnesses of\nChrist's transfiguration. It is almost inconceivable that a forger,\nwriting to warn against false teachers, writing in the interest of\ntruth, should have thus deliberately assumed a name and experience to\nwhich he had no claim. These statements must have influenced the\nopinion of the Laodic\u00e6an Council, and we know that they did not act on\nlight evidence; they did not on the strength of a name accept into\ntheir canon, but excluded, works at the time widely circulated and\npassing for histories or letters of some of the Apostles.\n\nMoreover, when we consider the kind of teaching against which St.\nPeter's epistle is directed, it is difficult to place it anywhere\nexcept at about the same date as St. Paul's epistles. It speaks of the\n\"fables\" m\u1fe6\u03b8\u03bf\u03b9, i. 16), the groundless, baseless fancies,\nof the early heretics in the same manner which we find in St. Paul\n(cf. 1 Tim. i. 4; iv. 7). The same greed and covetousness (\u03c0\u03bb\u03b5\u03bf\u03bd\u03b5\u03be\u03af\u03b1)\nis noted by both the Apostles in the teachers against whom their voice\nis raised (cf. 2 Peter ii. 3; 1 Tim. vi. 5; Titus i. 11). There are\nthe same beguiling promises of liberty (cf. 2 Peter ii. 19; 1 Cor. x.\n29; Gal. v. 13), a perversion of the freedom of which St. Paul speaks\nso much to the Galatian converts; and just as he warns against \"false\nbrethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our\nliberty\" (Gal. ii. 4), so does St. Peter condemn those \"who privily\nbring in heresies of destruction\" (2 Peter ii. 1). With so many common\nfeatures in the two pictures, we can scarcely be wrong in referring\nthem to the same times. No other period in early Church history suits\nthe language of St. Peter so well as the few years before his\nmartyrdom. The First Epistle may be dated eight or ten years earlier.\n\nThere is another morsel of evidence from the New Testament which is\nworth notice. St. Peter describes the heretics against whom he writes\nas following the error of Balaam the son of Beor, and notes this among\nthe tokens of their covetousness. In the Apocalypse (ii. 14, 15) the\nsame people are described, and in the same terms, but with an\naddition. They have received a definite name, and St. John terms them\nseveral times over \"the Nicolaitanes.\" Such a distinctive title marks\na later date than St. Peter's descriptive one, which is drawn from the\nOld Testament. The Apocalypse was assuredly written before the\ndestruction of Jerusalem. If then we may take the mention of the\nNicolaitanes by that designation as an indication of a later date than\n2 Peter, we are again brought to the time to which we have already\nreferred the Epistle: some time between 68 and 70 A.D.\n\nConsiderable discussion has arisen about the passages in 2 Peter which\nare like the language of St. Jude. There can be no doubt that either\none Apostle copied the words of the other, or that both drew from a\ncommon original. But this point, in whatever way it be settled, need\nnot militate against St. Peter's authorship. It is nothing unworthy of\nthe Apostle, if he find to his hand the words of a fellow-teacher\nwhich will serve his need, to use what he finds. Nay, the letter\nitself tells us that he was prepared to do this. For he refers his\nreaders (iii. 15) to the writings of St. Paul for support of his own\nexhortations. St. Peter's seems, however, to be the earlier of the two\nepistles, if we compare his words, \"There _shall be_ false teachers,\nwho _shall bring_ in heresies of destruction,\" etc. (ii. 1), with St.\nJude, who speaks of these misleading teachers as already existent and\nactive: \"There _are certain men crept in_ unawares\"; \"_These are_\nspots now existing in the feasts of charity\"; \"_They are feasting\namong the brethren_ without fear.\" And St. Jude seems clearly to be\nalluding to St. Peter's words (2 Peter iii. 3) when he says, \"Remember\nye the words which were spoken before of the Apostles of our Lord\nJesus Christ, how that they told you there should be _mockers_\"\n(\u1f10\u03bc\u03c0\u03b1\u1fd6\u03ba\u03c4\u03b1\u03b9) \"in the last time.\" This word for \"mockers\" is\nfound only in St. Peter's epistle. It is nowhere else in the New\nTestament; and while St. Peter's words are a direct utterance, St.\nJude's are a quotation.\n\nBut there are two or three features of resemblance between the style\nof St. Peter's first epistle and the second which support strongly the\ngenuineness of the latter. The First Epistle has a large proportion of\nwords found nowhere else in the New Testament. There are a score of\nsuch words in this short composition. Now the Second Epistle presents\nus with the same peculiarity in rather larger abundance. There are\ntwenty-four words there which appear in no other New Testament\nwriting. It seems to have been a peculiarity of the writer of both\nletters to use somewhat uncommon and striking words. Now take the\nSecond Epistle to have been the work of an imitator. He would be sure\nto notice such a characteristic, and sure also to repeat, for the sake\nof connexion, some distinctive expressions of the first letter in the\nsecond. But the case is much otherwise. There is the same abundance of\nunusual words in both epistles, but not a single repetition; the same\npeculiarity is manifest, but displays itself in entirely new material.\nThis is an index of authorship, not of imitation.\n\nThere are one or two differences between the two epistles which in\ntheir way are of equal interest. The first letter was one of\nencouragement and consolation; the second is full of warning. Hence,\nthough the coming of the Lord is dwelt on alike in the two, in the\nformer it is set forth as a _revelation_ (1 Peter i. 5), as a day for\nwhich believers were looking, and in which their hopes would be\nrealised, and their afflictions at an end; in the second letter the\nsame event is called a coming (\u03c0\u03b1\u03c1\u03bf\u03c5\u03c3\u03af\u03b1), an appearing, a\npresence, but one which will usher in the great and terrible day of\nthe Lord, and be the prelude of judgement to them that have fallen\naway.\n\nAgain, the sufferings of Christ are a theme much dwelt on in the First\nEpistle, where they are pointed to as the lot which Christians are to\nexpect, and the Lord is the pattern which they are to imitate; in the\nSecond they are hardly noticed. But was there not a cause for such\nreticence? Was it a time to urge on men the imitation of Christ when\nthe danger was great that they would deny Him altogether?\n\nNo doubt many other points of evidence, which are lost to us, were\npresented to the Fathers of the Laodic\u00e6an Council, and with the result\nthat the Second Epistle of St. Peter was received into the Canon side\nby side with the first. But the three centuries of want of\nacknowledgement have left their mark on its subsequent history, and\nmany earnest minds have treated it as of less authority than other\nmore accepted portions of the New Testament. Among these is Luther,\nwho speaks of the First Epistle as one of the noblest in the New\nTestament, but is doubtful about the claims of the Second. Similar was\nthe judgment of Erasmus and of Calvin.\n\nWe cannot, however, go back to the evidence produced at Laodic\u00e6a. Time\nhas swept that away, but, while doing so, has left us the result\nthereof; and the acceptance of the Epistle by the Fathers there\nassembled will be judged by most men to stand in lieu of the evidence.\nNo court of law would permit a decision so authenticated and of such\nstanding to be disturbed or overruled.\n\nAnd we ourselves can observe some points still which draw to the same\nconclusion. The letter harmonises in tone with the other New Testament\nwritings, and some of its linguistic peculiarities are strikingly in\naccord with the universally accepted letter of St. Peter. We are\ntherefore not unwilling, though we have not the early testimony which\nwe could desire, and though the primitive Church held its genuineness\nfor doubtful, to believe that ere this second letter was classed with\nthe other New Testament writings these doubts were cleared away, and\nwould be cleared away for us could we hear all the evidence tendered\nbefore those who fixed the contents of the Canon.\n\nThe discovery last year in Egypt of some fragments of the Gospel and\nApocalypse once current under the name of St. Peter has drawn\nattention once more to the genuineness and authenticity of the Second\nEpistle in our canon. But the difference in character between it and\nthese apocryphal documents is very great. The Gospel ascribed to Peter\nseems to have been written by some one who held the opinion, current\namong the early heretics, that the Incarnation was unreal, and that\nthe Divine in Christ Jesus had no participation in the sufferings at\nthe Crucifixion. Hence our Lord is represented as having no sense of\npain at that time. He is said to have been deserted by His \"power\" in\nthe moment of death. The stature of the angels at the Resurrection is\nrepresented as very great, but that of the risen Christ much greater.\nTo these peculiar features may be added the response made by the\ncross to a voice which was heard from heaven, the cross having\nfollowed the risen Christ from the tomb. In the fragments of the\nApocalypse we have a description of the torments of the wicked utterly\nforeign to the character of the New Testament writings, in which the\nveil of the unseen world is rarely withdrawn. The circumstance and\ndetail given in the apocryphal fragment to the punishments of sinners\nmark it as the parent of those medi\u00e6val legends of which the \"Visions\nof Furseus\" and \"St. Patrick's Purgatory\" afford well-known examples.\n\nThe study of these fragments, of which the Gospel may be dated about\n170 A.D., sends us back to the contemplation of the Second Epistle of\nSt. Peter more conscious than before at what a very early date errors,\nboth of history and doctrine, were promulgated among the Christian\nsocieties, while at the same time we are impressed more strongly with\nthe sense that the accord of the Second Epistle with Gospel history,\nwhere it is alluded to, as well as the simplicity of Christian\ndoctrine which it enforces, mark it as not unworthy of that place in\nthe Canon which was accorded to it in the very earliest councils which\ndealt with the contents of New Testament Scripture.\n\n\n\n\nCONTENTS\n\n  _THE FIRST EPISTLE OF ST. PETER_\n\n  I\n                                                               PAGE\n\n  THE WORK OF THE TRINITY IN MAN'S ELECTION AND\n  SALVATION                                                       3\n\n  II\n\n  THE HEAVENLY INHERITANCE                                       17\n\n  III\n\n  THE UNITY AND GLORIOUSNESS OF THE PLAN OF\n  REDEMPTION                                                     29\n\n  IV\n\n  THE CHRISTIAN'S IDEAL, AND THE STEPS THEREUNTO                 41\n\n  V\n\n  CHRISTIAN BROTHERHOOD: ITS CHARACTER AND\n  DUTIES                                                         55\n\n  VI\n\n  THE PRIESTHOOD OF BELIEVERS                                    69\n\n  VII\n\n  CHRISTIANS AS PILGRIMS IN THE WORLD                            83\n\n  VIII\n\n  CHRISTIAN SERVICE                                              95\n\n  IX\n\n  CHRISTIAN WIVES AND HUSBANDS                                  107\n\n  X\n\n  THEY WHO BLESS ARE BLESSED                                    119\n\n  XI\n\n  THE REWARDS OF SUFFERING FOR WELL-DOING                       133\n\n  XII\n\n  THE LESSONS OF SUFFERING                                      149\n\n  XIII\n\n  CHRISTIAN SERVICE FOR GOD'S GLORY                             163\n\n  XIV\n\n  THE BELIEVER'S DOUBLE JOY                                     177\n\n  XV\n\n  THE RIGHTEOUS HAVE JUDGEMENT HERE                             189\n\n  XVI\n\n  HOW TO TEND THE FLOCK                                         201\n\n  XVII\n\n  BE CLOTHED WITH HUMILITY                                      213\n\n  XVIII\n\n  THROUGH PERILS TO VICTORY                                     223\n\n\n\n\n  _THE SECOND EPISTLE OF ST. PETER_\n\n  XIX\n\n  THE SAVING KNOWLEDGE OF GOD                                   235\n\n  XX\n\n  WHO SHALL ASCEND INTO THE HILL OF THE LORD?                   245\n\n  XXI\n\n  THE VOICE HEARD IN THE HOLY MOUNT                             257\n\n  XXII\n\n  THE LAMP SHINING IN A DARK PLACE                              271\n\n  XXIII\n\n  THE LORD KNOWETH HOW TO DELIVER                               283\n\n  XXIV\n\n  \"BY THEIR FRUITS YE SHALL KNOW THEM\"                          297\n\n  XXV\n\n  ALTOGETHER BECOME ABOMINABLE                                  313\n\n  XXVI\n\n  AS WERE THE DAYS OF NOAH                                      325\n\n  XXVII\n\n  JUDGEMENT TO COME                                             335\n\n  XXVIII\n\n  THE LORD IS NOT SLACK                                         345\n\n  XXIX\n\n  \"WHAT MANNER OF PERSONS OUGHT YE TO BE?\"                      355\n\n  XXX\n\n  BE YE STEDFAST, UNMOVABLE                                     365\n\n\n\n\nTHE FIRST EPISTLE OF ST. PETER\n\n\n\n\nI\n\n_THE WORK OF THE TRINITY IN MAN'S ELECTION AND SALVATION_\n\n     \"Peter, an Apostle of Jesus Christ, to the elect who are\n     sojourners of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia,\n     Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the\n     Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and\n     sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: grace to you and peace\n     be multiplied.\"--1 PETER i. 1, 2.\n\n\n\"When thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren\" (Luke xxii. 32),\nwas the Lord's injunction to St. Peter, of which this Epistle may be\nconsidered as a part fulfilment. So richly stored is it with counsel,\nwarning, and consolation that Luther, the conflicts of whose life will\nbear some comparison with the trials of these Asian converts, calls it\none of the most precious portions of the New Testament Scriptures. Its\nvalue is further enhanced because in so many places the Apostle\nreverts in thought or word to his own life-history, and draws his\nteaching from the rich stream of personal experience. Even the name\nwhich he sets at the head of the letter had its lesson in connexion\nwith Jesus. Most Jews took a second name for profaner use in their\ncommerce with the heathen; but to Simon, the son of Jonas, Peter must\nhave been a specially sacred name, must have served as a watchword\nboth to himself and to all others who had learnt the story of its\nbestowal and the meaning which was bound up with it.\n\nThat a letter by St. Peter should be, as this is, of a very practical\ncharacter is no more than we might expect from what we know of the\nApostle from the Gospels. Prompt in word and action, ever the\nspokesman of the twelve, he seems made for a guide and leader of men.\nWhat perhaps we should not have expected is the very definite\ndoctrinal language with which the Epistle opens. Nowhere in the\nwritings either of St. Paul or St. John do we find more full or more\ninstructive teaching concerning the Holy Trinity. And herein St. Peter\nhas been guided to choose the only order which tends to edification.\nSound lessons for Christian life must be grounded upon a right faith,\nand a brother can afford no strength to his brethren unless first of\nall he point them clearly to the source whence both his strength and\ntheirs must come.\n\nOf the previous intercourse between St. Peter and those to whom he\nwrites we can only judge from the Epistle itself. The Apostle's name\ndisappears from New Testament history after the Council of Jerusalem\n(Acts xv.), but we feel sure his labours did not cease then; and\nthough the first message of Christianity may have been brought to\nthese Asiatic provinces by St. Paul, the allusions which St. Peter\nmakes to the trials of the converts are such as seem impossible had he\nnot himself laboured among them. The frequent reminders, the special\nwarnings, could come only from one who knew their circumstances very\nintimately. Allusions to the former lusts indulged in in their days of\nignorance, to the reproaches which they now have to suffer from their\nheathen neighbours, to their going astray like lost sheep, are a few\nof the unmistakable evidences of personal knowledge.\n\nHe writes to them as _sojourners of the dispersion_. In the minds of\nthe Jews this name would wake up sad memories of their past history.\nIt told of that great break in the national unity which was made by\nthe tarrying in Babylon of so many of the people at the time of the\nreturn, then of those painful periods in later days when their nation,\nas the vassal now of Persia, now of Greece, of Egypt, of Syria, and of\nRome, was made the sport of the world-powers as they rose and fell,\ntimes in which Israel could see few tokens of the Divine favour, could\nhear no voice of the prophet to encourage or to guide. But now to\nthose who had accepted the Gospel of Christ those dark years would be\nseen to have been in no wise barren of blessing and of profit. The\nscattered Jews had carried much of their faith abroad among the\nnations; schools of religious teaching had arisen; the chosen people\nin their dispersion had adopted the language best known among the\nother nations; and thus the outcome of those sorrowful times had been\na preparation for the Gospel. Proselytes had been made in the\ncountries of their exile, and a wider field opened for the Christian\nharvest. The dispersion of Israel had been made, as it were, a bridge\nover which the grace of God passed for publishing the glad tidings of\nthe Gospel, and to gather Jew and Gentile alike into the fold of\nChrist.\n\nBut it would be a mistake to restrict the word \"dispersion\" here to\nthe Jewish converts. The Apostle speaks more than once in his letter\nto those who had never been Jews, to men who (i. 14) had been\nfashioned according to their former lusts in ignorance; who had in\ntimes past (ii. 10) no share with God's people; who (iv. 13) had\nwrought the will of the Gentiles, walking in lasciviousness, lusts,\nand abominable idolatries. To these too since their conversion the\nname \"dispersion\" might be fitly applied. They were but a few here\nand there among the multitudes of heathendom. And their acceptance of\nthe faith of Jesus must have given to their lives a different aspect.\nIt must often be so with the faithful. Their life is from the world\napart. It must have been specially thus with these Christians in Asia.\nThey could be verily only strangers and sojourners; their true home\ncould never be made among their heathen surroundings. As the Jew in\nold days sighed for Jerusalem, so their hope was centred on a\nJerusalem above.\n\nYet God had a mission for them in the world. This is a special portion\nof St. Peter's message. As the scattered Jews of old had opened a door\nfor the spreading of the Gospel, so the Christians of the dispersion\nwere to be its witnesses. Their election had made them a peculiar\npeople; but it was that they might show forth the praises of Him who\nhad called them out of darkness into His marvellous light, and that by\ntheir good works the heathen might be won to glorify God when in His\nown time He should visit them too with the day-star from on high.\n\nBut beside the words which speak of severance and pilgrimage, the\nApostle uses one of a different character. With that large charity and\nhope which is stamped upon the whole of the New Testament, he calls\nthese scattered Christian converts the _elect_ of God. Just as St.\nPaul so often includes whole Churches, even though he find in them\nmany things to blame and to reprove, under the title of \"saints\" or\n\"called to be saints,\" so it is here. And the sense of their election\nis intended to be a mighty power. It is to bind them wherever they may\nbe scattered into one communion in Christ Jesus. Through the world\nthey are dispersed, but in Christ they constitute a great unity. And\nthe sense of this is to lift their hearts above any sorrowing for\ntheir isolation in the world. For through Christ they have (i. 4) an\ninheritance, a home, a claim of sonship; and their salvation is ready\nto be revealed in the last time.\n\nLater generations have witnessed much unprofitable controversy round\nthis word \"election.\" Some men have seen nothing else in the Bible,\nwhile others have hardly acknowledged it to be there at all. Then some\nhave laboured to reconcile to their understandings the two truths of\nGod's sovereignty and the freedom of the human will, not content to\nbelieve that in God's economy there may be things beyond their\nmeasure. St. Peter, like the other New Testament writers, enters on no\nsuch discussions. Whether amid the full assurance of newly quickened\nfaith the first Christians found no room for intellectual\ndifficulties, or whether the spirit within them led them to feel that\nsuch questions must ever be insoluble, we cannot know; but it is\ninstructive to note that the Scripture does not raise them. They are\nthe growth of later days, of times when Christianity was wide-spread,\nwhen men had lost the feeling that they were strangers and pilgrims of\nthe dispersion, and were no longer prepared to welcome, with St. Peter\nand St. Paul, every Christian brother into the number of God's chosen\nones, counting them as those who had been called to be saints.\n\nOf the election of believers the Apostle here speaks in its origin,\nits progress, and its consummation. He views it as a process which\nmust extend through the whole life, and connects its various stages\nwith the Three Persons of the Trinity. But, with the same practical\ninstinct which has already been noticed, he enters on no statements\nabout the nature of the Godhead in itself; he neither discusses what\nmay be known of God, nor how the knowledge is to be obtained. He says\nno word to intimate that the mention of three Persons may be difficult\nto understand in co-relation to the unity of the Godhead. Such\ninquiries exercise the mind, but can hardly further, what was St.\nPeter's special aim, the edification and comfort of the soul. That\nresult comes from the inward experience of what each Person of the\nGodhead is to us, and on this the Apostle has a lesson. He makes plain\nfor us the share which Father, Son, and Spirit bear in the work of\nhuman salvation. Christians, he teaches us, are elect, chosen to be\nsaints, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father; the election\nis maintained when their lives are constantly hallowed by the\ninfluence of the Holy Ghost; while in Christ they have not only an\nexample of perfect obedience after which they must strive, but a\nRedeemer whose blood can cleanse them from all the sins from which the\nmost earnest strivings will not set them free. Of these things the\nChristian soul can have experience. It is thus that the life of the\nelect believer begins, grows, and is perfected.\n\nIt begins _according to the foreknowledge of God the Father_. Here St.\nPeter may be his own interpreter. In his sermon on the day of\nPentecost he employs the same word, \"foreknowledge,\" and he is the\nonly one who uses it in the New Testament. There (Acts ii. 23) he says\nthat Christ was delivered up to be crucified by the determinate\ncounsel and foreknowledge of God. And on the same subject in this very\nchapter (i. 20) he speaks of Jesus as _foreknown_, as a Lamb without\nspot and blemish before the foundation of the world. In these passages\nwe are carried back beyond the ages into the Divine council-chamber,\nand we find the whole course of human history naked and open before\nthe eyes of the All-seeing. God knew even then what the history of the\nhuman race would be, saw that sin would find an entrance into the\nworld, and that a sacrifice would be needed, if sinners were to be\nredeemed. Yet He called the world and its tenants into being, and\nprovided the ransom in the person of His only Son. Why this was\nwell-pleasing unto Him it is not ours to discuss; whether for the\nuplifting of humanity by providing an opportunity for moral obedience\nor for the greater manifestation of His infinite love. But whatever\nelse is mysterious, one thing is plain: the counsel of the Holy One is\nseen to be a counsel of mercy and of love; and though its operation\nmay not seldom be perplexing to our finite powers, the Apostle teaches\nus that this determination from all eternity was made with infinite\ntenderness. He tells us it was the ordinance of our Father. The\nbeginning and the end thereof are hidden from us. We learn only a\nfragment of His dealings during the brief period of a human life. But\nmen may rest content with the proof of their election in the sound of\nthe Gospel message which they hear. They who are thus called may count\nthemselves for chosen. This call is the Divine testimony that God is\nchoosing them. Concerning His intention towards others who may seem to\nhave passed away without hearing of His love, or who are living as\nthough no loving message of glad tidings had ever been proclaimed, we\nmust rest in ignorance, only assured that the Eternal God is as truly\ntheir Father as we know Him to be ours.\n\nTo limited human knowledge the course of the world has ever been, must\never be, full of darkness and perplexities. Men gaze upon it as they\ndo upon the wrong side of a piece of tapestry as it is woven. To such\nobservers the pattern is always obscure, many a time quite\nunintelligible. For full knowledge we have to wait to the end. Then\nthe web will be reversed, God's designs and their working\ncomprehended; we shall know even as we are known, and, with hearts and\nvoices tuned to praise, shall cry, \"He hath done all things well.\" Of\nsuch a revelation the poet (Shelley, _Adonais_, Stanza lii.) sings, a\nrevelation of the all-seeing, unchanging Jehovah and of the glorious\nenlightenment that shall be in His presence:--\n\n    \"The one remains, the many change and pass;\n    Heaven's light for ever shines, earth's shadows fly:\n    Life, like a dome of many-coloured glass,\n    Stains the white radiance of eternity,\n    Until death tramples it to fragments.\"\n\nIn this wise would St. Peter have us think of the grace of election.\nIt has its beginning from our Father; its fulfilment will also be with\nHim. The measure and the manner of its bestowal are according to His\nforeknowledge, according to the same foreknowledge which provided in\nChrist an atonement for sin, which appointed Him to die, and that not\nfor some sinners only, but for the sins of the whole world.\n\nBut in the call according to God's foreknowledge the believer is not\nperfected. He must live worthily of his calling. And as his election\nat the first is of God, so the power to hold it fast is a Divine gift.\nHe who would rejoice over God's election must feel and constantly\nfoster within himself _the sanctification of the Spirit_. To be made\nholy is his great need. This demands a life of progress, of renewal, a\ndaily endeavour to restore the image which was lost at the Fall. \"Be\nye holy, for I am holy,\" is a fundamental precept of both Old and New\nTestaments; and it is a continual admonition, speaking unto Christians\nthat they go forward. Under the Law the lesson was enforced by\nexternal symbols. Holy ground, holy days, holy offices, kept men alive\nto the need of preparation, of purification, before they could be fit\nto draw near unto God or for God to draw near unto them.\n\nFor us there is opened a more excellent way: the inward, spiritual\ncleansing of the heart. Christ has gone away where He was before, and\nsends down to His servants the Holy Ghost, who bestows power that the\nelection of the Father may be made sure. Hence we can understand those\nfrequent exhortations in the epistles, \"Walk in the Spirit\"; \"Live in\nthe Spirit\"; \"Quench not the Spirit.\" The Christian life is a\nstruggle. The flesh is ever striving for the mastery. This enemy the\nbeliever must do to death. And as aforetime, so now, sanctification\nbegins with purification. Christ sanctifies His Church, those whom He\nhas called to Him out of the world; and the manner is by cleansing\nthem through the washing of water with the word. Here we gladly think\nof that sacrament which He ordained for admission into the Church as\nthe beginning of this Divine operation, as the wonted entrance of the\nHoly Ghost for His work of purifying. But that work must be continued.\nHe is called \"holy\" because He makes men holy by His abode with them.\nAnd Christ has described for us how this is brought to pass. \"He shall\ntake of Mine,\" says our Lord, \"and shall show it unto you. All things\nthat the Father hath are Mine\" (John xvi. 14, 15). Every good gift,\nwhich the Father who calls men hath, the Spirit is sent to impart. The\nwords speak of the gradual manner of its bestowal; all things may be\ngiven, but they are given little by little, as men can or are fit to\nreceive them. He shall take a portion of what is Mine, is the literal\nmeaning of the Evangelist's phrase (John xvi. 15). The plural phrase\n\u03c0\u03ac\u03bd\u03c4\u03b1 \u1f45\u03c3\u03b1 \u1f14\u03c7\u03b5\u03b9 \u1f41 \u03c0\u03b1\u03c4\u03b7\u03c1 marks the boundless supply,\nthe singular \u1f10\u03ba \u03c4\u1fe6u \u1f10\u03bc\u03bf\u1fe6 \u03bb\u03ae\u03bc\u03c0\u03c3\u03b5\u03c4\u03b1\u03b9 the Spirit's choice of such a\nportion therefrom as best suits the receiver's needs and powers. In\nthis wise men may become gradually conformed to the image of Christ,\ngrow more and more like Him day by day. More and more will they\ndrink in of the whole truth, and more and more will they be sanctified.\n\nIn this daily enlightenment must God's faithful ones live, a life\nwhose atmosphere is the hallowing influence of the Holy Ghost. But it\nis to be no mere life of receptivity, with no effort of their own. The\nApostle makes this clear elsewhere, when he says, \"Sanctify the Lord\nGod in your hearts\" (iii. 15)--make them fit abodes for His Spirit to\ndwell in; lead your lives in holy conversation, that the house may be\nswept and garnished, and you be vessels sanctified and meet for the\nMaster's use.\n\nThus chosen by the Father and led onward by the Spirit, the Christian\nis brought ever nearer to the full purpose of his calling: _unto\nobedience and the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ_. The\nChrist-pattern which the Spirit sets before men is in no feature more\nstriking than in its perfect obedience. The prophetic announcement of\nthis submission sounds down to us from the Psalms: \"Lo, I come to do\nThy will, O God\"; and the incarnate Son declares of Himself, \"My meat\nis to do the will of Him that sent Me, and to finish His work\": and\neven in the hour of His supreme agony His word is still, \"Father, not\nMy will, but Thine, be done.\" Specially solemn, almost startling, is\nthe language of the Apostle to the Hebrews when he says of Jesus that\n\"He learned obedience by the things which He suffered,\" and that \"it\nbecame the Father, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make Christ,\nthe Captain of their salvation, perfect through suffering.\" With the\nLord as an example, obedience is made the noblest, the New Testament\nform of sacrifice.\n\nBut when such obedience was connected with the sprinkling of the blood\nof Jesus, the Jews among St. Peter's converts must have been carried\nin thought to that scene described in Exod. xxiv. There, through Moses\nas a mediator, we read of God's law being made known to Israel, and\nthe people with one voice promised obedience: \"All the words which the\nLord hath said will we do, and be obedient.\" Then followed a\nsacrifice; and Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people,\nsaying, \"Behold the blood of the covenant which the Lord hath made\nwith you concerning all these words\"; and the Lord drew nigh unto His\npeople, and the sight of the glory of the Lord on Mount Sinai was like\ndevouring fire in the eyes of the children of Israel.\n\nFor Christians there is a Mediator of a better covenant. We are not\ncome unto the mount that burned with fire, but unto Mount Zion (Heb.\nxii. 18-22). In that other sacrament of His own institution, our Lord\nmakes us partakers of the benefits of His passion. With His own blood\nHe constantly maketh His people pure, fitting them to appear in the\npresence of the Father. There at length the purpose of their election\nshall be complete in fulness of joy in the sight of Him who chose them\nbefore the foundation of the world.\n\nThus does the Apostle set forth his practical, profitable lessons on\nthe work of the Trinity in man's election and salvation; and he\nconcludes them with a benediction part of which is very frequent in\nthe letters of St. Paul: _Grace to you and peace_. The early preachers\nfelt that these two blessings travelled hand in hand, and comprised\neverything which a believer could need: God's favour and the happiness\nwhich is its fruit. Grace is the nurture of the Christian life; peace\nis its character. These strangers of the dispersion had been made\npartakers of the Divine grace. This very letter was one gift more, the\nconsolation of which we can well conceive. But St. Peter models his\nbenediction to be a fitting sequel to his previous teaching. _Grace_,\nhe says, _to you and peace be multiplied_. The verb \"be multiplied\" is\nonly used by him here and in the Second Epistle, and by St. Jude,\nwhose letter has so much in common with St. Peter's.\n\nIn this prayer the same thought is with him as when he spake of the\nstages of the Christian election. There must ever be growth as the\nsign of life. Let them hold fast the grace already received, and more\nwould be bestowed. Grace for grace is God's rule of giving, new store\nfor what has been rightly used. This one word of his prayer would say\nto them, Seek constantly greater sanctification, more holiness, from\nthe Spirit; yield your will to God in imitation of Jesus, who\nsanctified Himself that His servants might be sanctified. Then, though\nyou be strangers of the dispersion, though the world will have none of\nyou, you shall be kept in perfect peace, and feel sure that you can\ntrust His words who says to His warfaring servants, \"Be of good cheer;\nI have overcome the world.\"\n\n\n\n\nII\n\n_THE HEAVENLY INHERITANCE_\n\n     \"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who\n     according to His great mercy begat us again unto a living hope by\n     the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, unto an\n     inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not\n     away, reserved in heaven for you, who by the power of God are\n     guarded through faith unto a salvation ready to be revealed in\n     the last time. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a\n     little while, if need be, ye have been put to grief in manifold\n     temptations, that the proof of your faith, being more precious\n     than gold that perisheth, though it is proved by fire, might be\n     found unto praise and glory and honour at the revelation of Jesus\n     Christ: whom not having seen ye love; on whom, though now ye see\n     Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice greatly with joy unspeakable\n     and full of glory: receiving the end of your faith, even the\n     salvation of your souls.\"--1 PETER i. 3-9.\n\n\n\"Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh,\" words true of\nall this letter, but of no part more true than of the thanksgiving\nwith which it opens. The Apostle recalls those dark three days in\nwhich the life he bore was worse than death. His vaunted fidelity had\nbeen put to the proof, and had failed in the trial; his denial had\nbarred the approach to the Master whom he had disowned. The\ncrucifixion of Jesus had followed close upon His arrest, and Peter's\nbitter tears of penitence could avail nothing. He to whom they might\nhave appealed was lying in the grave. The Apostle's repentant weeping\nsaved him from a Judas-like despair, but dreary must have been the\ndesolation of his soul until the Easter morning's message told him\nthat Jesus was alive again.\n\nWe can understand the fervency of his thanksgiving: _Blessed be God,\nwhich hath begotten us again by the resurrection of Christ from the\ndead_. No better image than the gift of a new life could he find to\ndescribe the restoration that came with the words of the angel from\nthe empty tomb, \"He is risen; go your way: tell His disciples and\nPeter that He goeth before you into Galilee.\" The Lord forgave His\nsinning, sorrowing servant, and through this forgiveness he lived\nagain, and bears printed for ever on his heart the memory of that\nlife-giving. The very form of his phrase in this verse is an echo from\nthe resurrection morning: _Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord\nJesus Christ_.\n\nOnly in a few passages resembling this in St. Paul's epistles[1] is\nGod called \"the God of our Lord Jesus Christ.\" But Peter is mindful of\nthe Lord's own words to Mary, \"Go unto My brethren and say unto them,\nI ascend unto My Father and your Father, and My God and your God\"\n(John xx. 17); and now that he is made one of Christ's heralds, the\nfeeder of His sheep, he publishes the same message which was the\nsource of his own highest joy, and which he would make a joy for them\nlikewise. That God is called theirs, even as He is Christ's, is an\nearnest that Jesus has made them His brethren indeed. To the doctrine\nof their election according to the foreknowledge of the Father he now\nadds the further grace which couples the Fatherhood of God with the\nbrotherhood of Christ.\n\n  [1] 2 Cor. i. 3, xi. 31; Eph. i. 3, with which may be compared Rom.\n  xvi. 6.\n\nThat these gifts are purely of God's grace he also implies: _He begat\nus again_. Just as in natural birth the child is utterly of the will\nof the parents, so is it in the spiritual new birth. _According to\nGod's great mercy_ we are born again and made heirs of all the\nconsequent blessings. This passage from death unto life is rich, in\nthe first place, in immediate comfort. Witness the rejoicing amidst\nhis grief which St. Peter experienced when he could cry to the Master,\n\"Lord, Thou knowest all things: Thou knowest that I love Thee.\" But\nthe new life looks for ever onward. It will be unbroken through\neternity. Here we may taste the joy of our calling, may learn\nsomething of the Father's love, of the Saviour's grace, of the\nSpirit's help; but our best expectations centre ever in the future.\nThe Apostle terms these expectations a lively, or rather _a living,\nhope_. The Christian's hope is living because Christ is alive again\nfrom the dead. It springs with ever-renewed life from that rent tomb.\nThe grave is no longer a terminus. Life and hope endure beyond it. And\nmore than this, there is a fresh principle of vitality infused into\nthe soul of the new-born child of God. The Spirit, the Life-giver, has\nmade His abode there; and death is swallowed up of victory.\n\nIn continuing his description of the living hope of the believer, the\nApostle keeps in mind his simile of Fatherhood and sonship, and gives\nto the hope the further title of _an inheritance_. As sons of Adam,\nmen are heirs from their birth, but only to the sad consequences of\nthe primal transgression. Slaves they are, and not free men, as that\nother law in their members gives them daily proof. But in the\nresurrection of Jesus the agonised cry of St. Paul, \"Who shall deliver\nme?\" (Rom. vii. 24), has found its answer. Christians are begotten\nagain, not to defeat and despair, but to a hope which is eternal, to\nan inheritance which will endure beyond the grave. And as in their\nspiritual growth they are ever aspiring to an ideal above and beyond\nthem, in respect of the saintly inheritance they have a like\nexperience. They begin to grasp it now in part, and have even here a\nprecious earnest of the larger blessedness; they are sealed by the\nHoly Spirit of promise and marked as the redeemed of God's own\npossession (Eph. i. 13, 14). But that which shall be is rich with an\nexceeding wealth of glory; Christ keeps the good wine of His grace to\nthe last.\n\nHow beggared earthly speech appears when we essay by it to picture the\nglory that shall be revealed for us! The inheritance of the\nChristian's hope demands for its description those unspeakable words\nwhich St. Paul heard in paradise, but could not utter. The tongues of\nmen are constrained to fall back upon negatives. What it will be we\ncannot express. We only know some evils from which it will be free. It\nshall be _incorruptible_, like the God and Father (Rom. i. 23) who\nbestows it. _Eternal_, it shall contain within it no seed of decay,\nnothing which can cause it to perish. Neither shall it be subject to\ninjury from without. It shall be _undefiled_, for we are to share it\nwith our elder Brother, our High-priest (Heb. vii. 26), who is now\nmade higher than the heavens. Earthly possessions are often sullied,\nnow by the way they are attained, now by the way they are used.\nNeither spot nor blemish shall tarnish the beauty of the heavenly\ninheritance. It shall _never fade away_. It is amaranthine, like the\ncrown of glory (1 Peter v. 4) which the chief Shepherd shall bestow at\nHis appearing; it is as the unwithering flowers of paradise.\n\nNor are these the only things which make the heavenly to differ from\nthe earthly inheritance. In this life, ere a son can succeed to\nheirship, the parent through whom it is derived must have passed away;\nwhile the many heirs to an earthly estate diminish, as their number\nincreases, the shares of all the rest. From such conditions the\nChristian's future is free. His Father is the Eternal God, his\ninheritance the inexhaustible bounty of heaven. Each and all who share\ntherein will find an increase of joy as the number grows of those who\nclaim this eternal Fatherhood, and with it a place in the Father's\nhome.\n\nSt. Peter adds another feature which gives further assurance to the\nbeliever's hope. The inheritance is reserved. Concerning it there can\nbe no thought of dwindling or decay. It is where neither rust nor moth\ncan corrupt, and where not even the archthief Satan himself can break\nthrough to steal. There needs no preservation of the incorruptible and\nundefiled, but it is especially kept for those for whom it is\nprepared. He who has gone before to make it ready said, \"I go to\nprepare it for you.\" The Apostle has made choice of his preposition\nadvisedly. He says, \u1f10\u03b9\u03c2 \u1f51\u03bc\u1fb6\u03c2[2]--on your behalf; for your\nown possession. The inheritance is where Christ has gone before us, in\nheaven, of which we can best think, as Himself hath taught us, as the\nplace \"where He was before\" (John vi. 62), the Father's house, in\nwhich are many mansions. There it is in store, till we are made ready\nfor it.\n\n  [2] The better reading, looking back to the \u1f21\u03bc\u1fb6\u03c2 of ver. 3,\n  appears to be \u1f10\u03b9\u03c2 \u1f21\u03bc\u1fb6, and it is well supported.\n\nFor the present life is only a preparation-time. Ere we are ready to\ndepart we must pass through a probation. God suffers His beloved ones\nto be chastened, but He sends with the trial the means of rescue. They\nare _guarded_. The word which St. Peter here uses is one applicable to\na military guard, such as would be needed in the country of an enemy.\nGod sees what we stand in need of. For we are still in the territory\nof the prince of this world. But mark the abundant protection: _by the\npower of God through faith_. The Apostle's language sets our\nguardianship forth under a double aspect. The Christian is \"in\"\n(\u1f10\u03bd) \"the power of God.\" Here is the strength of our\nwardship. Under such care the believer is enabled to walk amid the\ntrials of the world unscathed. Yet the Divine shield around him is not\nmade effective unless he do his part also. Through faith the shelter\nbecomes impregnable. The Christian goes forward with full assurance,\nhis eyes fixed on the goal of duty which his Master has set before\nhim, and, heedless of assailants, perseveres in the struggles which\nbeset him. Then, even in the fiercest fires of trial, he beholds by\nhis side the Son of God, and hears the voice, \"It is I; be not\nafraid.\"\n\nThus to the faithful warfarer the victory is sure. And to this\ncertainty St. Peter points as he continues, and calls the heavenly\ninheritance a _salvation_. This will be the consummation. \"Sursum\ncorda\" is the believer's constant watchword. The completed bliss will\nnot be attained here. But when the veil is lifted which separates this\nlife from the next, it is ready to be manifested and to ravish the\nsight with its glory. The sense of this salvation ready to be revealed\nnerves the heart for every conflict. By faith weakness grows mighty.\nThus comes to pass the paradox of the Christian life, which none but\nthe faithful can comprehend: \"When I am weak, then I am strong\"; \"I\ncan do all things through Christ, that giveth me power.\"\n\nHence comes the wondrous spectacle, which St. Peter was contemplating,\nand which amazed the heathen world, exceeding joy in the midst of\nsufferings. _Wherein ye greatly rejoice_, he says. Some have thought\nhim to be referring to a mental realisation of the last time, about\nwhich he has just spoken, a realisation so vivid to the faith of these\nconverts that they could exult in the prospect as though it had\nalready arrived. And this exposition is countenanced in some degree by\nwords which follow (ver. 9), where he describes them as now receiving\nthe end of their faith, even the salvation of their souls.\n\nBut it seems less forced to consider the Apostle as speaking with some\nknowledge of the circumstances of these Asian Christians, a knowledge\nof the trials they had to undergo, and how hope was animating them to\nlook onwards towards their inheritance, which was but a little while\nin reversion, towards the salvation which was so soon to be revealed.\nFull of this hope, he says, ye greatly rejoice, though ye have had\nmany things to suffer. Then he proceeds to dwell on some of the\ngrounds for their consolation. Their trials, they knew, were but for a\nlittle while, not a moment longer than the need should be. Their\nsorrow would have an end; their joy would last for evermore.\n\nThe form of St. Peter's words,[3] it is true, seems to imply that\nthere must always be the need for our chastening. And what else can\nthe children of Adam expect? But it is He, the Father in heaven, who\nfixes both the nature and the duration of His children's discipline.\nSome men have felt within themselves the need of chastisement so\nkeenly that they have devised systems for themselves whereby they\nshould mortify the flesh, and prepare themselves for the last time.\nBut of self-appointed chastenings the Apostle does not speak. Of such\nthe converts to whom he writes had no need. They _had been put to\ngrief in manifold temptations_.\n\n  [3]\u1f18\u03b9 \u03b4\u03ad\u03bf\u03bd \u1f10\u03c3\u03c4\u03af--if need be, as need there is.\n\nWe can gather from the Epistle itself some notion of the troublous\nlife these scattered Christians had amid the crowd of their heathen\nneighbours. They were regarded with contempt for refusing to mingle in\nthe excesses which were so marked a feature of heathen life and\nheathen worship. They were railed upon as evil-doers. They suffered\ninnocently, were constantly assailed with threatenings, and passed\ntheir time oft in such terror that St. Peter describes their life as a\nfiery trial.\n\nYet in the word (\u03c0\u03bf\u03b9\u03ba\u03af\u03bb\u03bf\u03c2) which he here employs to picture\nthe varied character of their sufferings we seem to have another hint\nthat these did not fall out without the permission and watchful\ncontrol of God Himself. It is a word which, while it tells of a\ncountless variety, tells at the same time of fitness and order\ntherein. The trials are meted out fitly, as men need and can profit by\nthem. The Master's eye and hand are at work through them all; and the\nfaithful God keeps always ready a way of deliverance. In this wise\ndoes St. Peter proclaim that the putting to grief may be made unto us\na dispensation of mercy. Himself had been so put to grief by the\nthrice-repeated question, \"Lovest thou Me?\" (John xxi. 17). But a way\nwas opened thereby for repentance of his triple denial, and that he\nmight thrice over be entrusted with the feeding of Christ's flock.\nSuch was the putting to grief of the Corinthian Church (2 Cor. vii.\n9) by St. Paul's first letter, for it wrought in them repentance, so\nthat they sorrowed after a godly sort. And such sorrow can exist side\nby side with, yea be the source of, exceeding joy. The Apostle of the\nGentiles is a witness when he says that he and his fellow-labourers\nare \"sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing\" (2 Cor. vi. 10).\n\nThe Christian does not allow troubles to overwhelm him. The very\ncomparison which St. Peter here institutes, speaking though it does of\na furnace of trial, bears within it somewhat of consolation. Gold that\nis proved by the fire loses all the dross which clung about it and was\nmingled with it before the refining. It comes forth in all its purity,\nall its worth; and so shall it be with the believer after his\nprobation. The things of earth will lose their value in his eyes; they\nwill fall away from him, neither will he load himself with the thick\nclay of the world's honours or wealth. The ties of such things have\nbeen sundered by his trials, and his heart is free to rise above the\nanxieties of time. And better even than the most refined gold, which,\nbe it never so excellent, will yet be worn away, the faith of the\nbeliever comes forth stronger for all trial, and he shall hear at the\nlast the welcome of the Master, \"Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord,\"\nthe joy which He bestows, the joy which He shares with those that\nfollow Him.\n\nThis is the revelation of Jesus Christ of which St. Peter speaks. This\nis the praise which through His atonement His servants shall find, and\nshall become sharers of the glory and honour which the Father has\nbestowed upon Him. To Christ then turns every affection. _Whom not\nhaving seen ye love._ This is the test since Christ's ascension, and\nhas the promise of special blessing. To His doubting Apostle Christ\nvouchsafed the evidence he desired, for our teaching as well as for\nhis; but He added therewith, \"Blessed are they which have not seen and\nyet have believed.\" And their joy is such as no tongue can tell. Not\nfor that are they silent in their rejoicing; their hearts overflow,\nand their voices go forth in constant songs of praise. But ever there\nremains with them the sense, \"The half has not been told.\"\n\nFor faith anticipates the bliss which God hath prepared for them that\nlove Him, and enters into the unseen. The Holy Spirit within the soul\nis ever making fuller revelation of the deep things of God. The\nbeliever's knowledge is ever increasing; the eye-salve of faith clears\nhis spiritual vision. The thanksgivings of yesterday are poor when\nconsidered in the illumination of to-day. His joy also is glorified.\nAs his aspirations soar heavenward, the glory from on high comes\nforth, as it were, to meet him. By gazing in faith on the coming Lord,\nthe Christian progresses, through the power of the Spirit, from glory\nto glory; and the ever-growing radiance is a part of that grace which\nno words can tell. But so true, so real, is the sense of Christ's\npresence that the Apostle describes it as full fruition. Believers\n_receive even now the end of their faith, the salvation of their\nsouls_. So assured does He make them of all which they have hoped for\nthat they behold already the termination of their journey, the close\nof all trial, and are filled with the bliss which shall be fully\ntheirs when Christ shall come to call His approved servants to their\ninheritance of salvation.\n\n\n\n\nIII\n\n_THE UNITY AND GLORIOUSNESS OF THE PLAN OF REDEMPTION_\n\n     \"Concerning which salvation the prophets sought and searched\n     diligently, who prophesied of the grace that _should come_ unto\n     you: searching what _time_ or what manner of time the Spirit of\n     Christ which was in them did point unto, when it testified\n     beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that should\n     follow them. To whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves,\n     but unto you, did they minister these things, which now have been\n     announced unto you through them that preached the Gospel unto you\n     by the Holy Ghost sent forth from heaven; which things angels\n     desire to look into.\"--1 PETER i. 10-12.\n\n\nThe message of the Gospel unlocks the treasures of Old Testament\nrevelation. Evangelists and Apostles are the exponents of the\nprophets. The continuity of Divine revelation has never been broken.\nThe Spirit which spake through Joel of the pentecostal outpouring had\nspoken to men in the earlier days, to Abraham, Jacob, Moses, and\nDavid, and was now shed forth upon the first preachers of the Gospel,\nand bestowed abundantly for the work of the newly founded Church of\nChrist. St. Peter, himself a chief recipient of the gift, here\nproclaims the oneness of the whole of revelation; and more than this,\nhe bears witness to the oneness of the teaching of the whole body of\nChristian missionaries. St. Paul and his fellow-labourers had spread\nthe glad tidings first of all among these Asian converts; but there\nis no thought in St. Peter's mind of a different gospel from his own.\nThose who preached the Gospel to them in the first instance were, even\nas himself, working in and by the same Holy Spirit.\n\nIn the preceding verses of the chapter the thoughts of the Apostle\nhave been dwelling on the future, on the time when the hope of the\nbeliever shall attain its fruition, and faith shall be lost in sight.\nHe now turns his glance backward to notice how the promise of\nsalvation has been the subject of revelation through all time. To\nthose among the converts who had studied the Jewish Scriptures such a\nretrospect would be fruitful in instruction. They would comprehend\nwith him how the truths which they now heard preached had been\ngradually shadowed forth in the Divine economy. That first\nproclamation of the seed of the woman to be born for the overthrow of\nthe tempter, but who yet must Himself be a Sufferer in the conflict,\nwas now become luminous, and in outline presented the whole scheme of\nredemption. The study of the development of that scheme would beget a\nfull trust in their hearts for the future as they contemplated the\nstages of its foreshadowing in the past.\n\n_Concerning which salvation_, he says, _the prophets sought and\nsearched diligently_. The Divine revelation could only be made as men\nwere able to bear it, and the sentences of old must needs be dark. At\nfirst God's love was set forth by His covenants with the patriarchs.\nThen the wider scope of mercy was proclaimed in the promises given to\nAbraham and repeated to his posterity. In their seed, it was declared,\nnot the chosen race alone, but all the nations of the earth, should be\nblessed. Here all through the history was ground enough for diligent\nsearching among the faithful. How could these things be, Abraham\nsolitary and aged, Isaac's sons at feud with each other, Jacob and his\nposterity in captivity? Even at their best estate these seemed little\nfitted for the destiny which had been foretold to them. But throughout\nthe Mosaic history some clung to their faith, and their great leader\nforesaw that the promise would be fulfilled in its time through One of\nwhom he was but a feeble representative. But to so wide a vision only\na few attained.\n\nIn the evil days which followed, the hope of the people must often\nhave dwindled down; but yet at times, as to Gideon's diminished army,\nit was made manifest that the Lord could do great things for His\npeople: and the thought of the seed of the woman promised as a\nDeliverer lingered in many hearts, and enabled them to sing in\nthankfulness how the adversaries of the Lord should be broken in\npieces, how out of heaven the Lord should thunder upon them, and prove\nHimself the Judge of all the ends of the earth, giving strength unto\nHis king and exalting the horn of His anointed. In such wise the\nprophetic teaching, which had advanced from the blessing of an\nindividual to the choice and exaltation of a chosen family, was\nexpanded in the noblest spirits to the conception of a kingdom of God\namong all mankind, and assumed a more definite form when the promise\nwas made to the Son of David that His throne should be established for\never.\n\nBut how imperfectly God's design was comprehended by the best among\nthem we can see from the last words of David himself (2 Sam. xxiii.\n1-7). In them we have an instance of the searching which must have\noccupied other hearts beside that of the king of Israel. The Spirit of\nthe Lord had spoken by him, and a promise of future glory had been\nmade, when all should be brightness, every cloud dispersed. But the\nvision tarried. The house of David was not so with God. Yet he still\nheld firmly to the everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and\nsure, a covenant of salvation, though as yet God made it not to grow.\nDavid may be numbered among those _who prophesied of the grace that\nshould come_ hereafter; and his words are shaped by a power above his\nown, to suggest the advent of Him who was to be the \"dayspring from on\nhigh.\"\n\nHe and the other enlightened Israelites who have left us their\nthoughts and aspirations in the Psalter felt that the history of the\nchosen people was from first to last a grand parable (Psalm lxxviii.\n2), and that the present could always be learning from the leading and\ndiscipline of the past. The miracles and the chastisements which they\nrecite were all tokens of the sure promise, tokens that the people\nwere not forgotten, but constantly aided by instruction, warning, and\nreproof. So that another psalmist, though still searching for the\nfuller meaning of the parables and dark sayings through which he was\nconducted, could sing, \"God shall redeem my soul from the hand of the\ngrave, for He shall take me\" (Psalm xlix. 15). There is a confidence\nin the words, a confidence enough to sustain amid many trials. To such\na man the present was not all. There was a life to come where God\nshould be and rule, and his heart had not seldom gone forth to the\nquestioning _at what time and in what form_ the promises should be\nfulfilled. Like Abraham, such men had seen the day of Christ in vision\nand rejoiced over it, and the _Spirit of Christ was within them_ to\nsustain them. But the things which they had heard and known, and of\nwhich their fathers had told them, supplied cause for deep searchings\nas _to the time and the manner of time unto which the Spirit\npointed_. The strength of the Lord and His wondrous works were to be\nrehearsed to the coming generations, that among them the hope might\nlive, by them the searching be continued. And as time went on the\nvision was widened, for in no small number of the Psalms we find the\npromised blessedness described as the portion not of Israel only, but\nthrough Israel grace was to be extended to the ends of the earth.\n\"Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands,\" is no solitary\ninvocation.\n\nAnd when we turn to those prophets whose writings we possess, we\nrecognise that in them the Spirit of Christ was working and pointing\nforward to the coming redemption. But long before the days of Isaiah\nand Micah the Spirit of the Lord had come mightily upon His servants,\nand that picture of a glorious future which both those seers have\ngiven to us was not improbably the utterance of some earlier servant\nof the Lord: \"It shall come to pass in the last days that the mountain\nof the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains\nand shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto\nit\" (Isa. ii. 2; Micah iv. 1). Thus far had they attained, but the\nsearch was not ended. \"The last days\"! When these should come was\nknown to God alone; and they spake only as they were moved by Him,\nstanding on their towers of spiritual elevation, hearkening what the\nLord would say to them, and delivering His message with all the\nfulness they could command. But they were sure of the final bliss.\n\nOf the same character are those words of Joel, which St. Peter quoted\nin his sermon on the day of Pentecost, \"It shall come to pass\n_afterward_\" (ii. 28). Beyond this was not yet revealed. But it was\nthe voice of God which spake through the prophet: \"In those days I\nwill pour out My Spirit.\" And the Divine voice spake of visitations of\nanother kind. It _testified beforehand of the sufferings of Christ and\nthe glories that should follow them_. We feel sure that here St. Peter\nhad in mind Isa. liii., which the New Testament has taught us to apply\nin its fullest sense to our blessed Lord.\n\nBut the language of St. Peter in this clause deserves special notice.\nHe does not use the ordinary words by which the personal sufferings of\nChrist would generally be expressed, but he says rather, \"the\nsufferings which pertain unto Christ.\" And here we may well consider\nwhether the variation of phrase be not designed. St. Paul uses the\nsimple direct expression (2 Cor. i. 5), and so does St. Peter himself\n(1 Peter iv. 13); and in those passages the Apostles are speaking of\nthe sufferings of Christ as shared by His people. It would almost seem\nas if St. Peter's phrase in the verse before us were intended to\nconvey this sense more fully. The sufferings pertain unto Christ, were\nspecially borne by Him; but they fall also upon those who are, and\nhave been, His people, both before and after the Incarnation.\n\nThose prophecies of Isaiah which speak of the sufferings of the\nservant of the Lord had long been expounded as meant of the Jewish\nnation, and with such interpretation St. Peter was doubtless familiar.\nHence may have come his altered phrase, capable of being interpreted,\nnot only of Christ Himself, but of the sufferings of those who, like\nthese Asiatic converts, were for the Lord's sake exposed to manifold\ntrials. This double application of the words, to Christ and to His\nservants also, explains, it may be, the unique use of the word\n\"glories\" in the clause which follows: the sufferings of Christ and\nthe _glories_ that should follow them. For the glories may be taken to\nsignify not only that honour and glory which the Father has given unto\nChrist, but also the glory in which they shall share who have taken up\ntheir cross to follow Him. Nowhere else in the New Testament does this\nplural word occur. To draw a sense like this from it would minister no\nsmall comfort to the Christians in their trials; and just before St.\nPeter has described the joy which they should experience as\n\"glorified,\" or \"full of glory\" (ver. 8). In like manner St. Paul\nspeaks (Rom. viii. 18) of the sufferings of this present time as not\nworthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us in\nthe resurrection.\n\nIt would also serve as consolation to the sufferers, who were thus\npointed on to the future for Christ's best gifts, to know that a\nsimilar forward glance had been the lot of the prophets under the\nancient dispensation. One here and there had felt, as Malachi (iii.\n1), that the Lord whom they were seeking was soon to come; but we know\nof none before the aged Simeon to whom it had been made known that\nthey should not die till they had seen the Lord's Christ. To the\nformer generations _it was revealed_, says the Apostle, _that not unto\nthemselves, but unto you, did they minister these things_. They beheld\nthem, and greeted them, but it was afar off. They spake often one to\nanother of a bliss that was to come; yet though praying, longing, and\nhoping for it, they saw it only with the eye of faith. The psalmists\nsupply many illustrations of this forward projection of the thoughts\nwhich dwelt on the Messianic hope. Thus in Psalm xxii. 30, 31, while\nrejoicing over his own rescue from suffering, the speaker recognises\nthat this is but a foreshadowing of another suffering and another\ndeliverance, even the sufferings of Christ and the glories that should\nfollow. \"It shall be told of the Lord unto the next generation. They\nshall come; they shall declare His righteousness to a people that\nshall be born, that He hath done it,\" and again in another place,\n\"This shall be written for the generation to come, and a people which\nshall be created shall praise the Lord\" (Psalm cii. 18). And these\nanticipations are ever coupled with the thought of the wider extension\nof the kingdom of God, with the time when \"all the ends of the world\nshall remember and turn unto the Lord,\" \"when the nations shall fear\nthe name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth His glory.\"\n\nBut the things which prophets and psalmists ministered _have now been\nannounced unto you through them that preached the Gospel unto you_.\nYou, St. Peter would say, are now not heirs expectant, but possessors\nof the blessings which former ages of believers foresaw and foretold,\njust as in his pentecostal address he testifies, \"This is that which\nwas spoken by the prophet Joel.\" And those who have preached these\nglad tidings unto you, he continues, have not done so without warrant.\nThey are joined by an unbroken link to the prophets who went before\nthem. In those the Spirit of Christ wrought at such times as He found\nfit instruments for raising a little the veil that lay over the\npurposes of God. The preachers of the Gospel have the same Spirit, and\nspeak unto you _by the Holy Ghost sent forth from heaven_. These (and\nof St. Peter is this specially true) had witnessed the sufferings of\nChrist, and been made partakers of the glories of the outpoured\nSpirit. The promise of the Father had been fulfilled to them, and they\nhad received a mouth and wisdom which their adversaries were not able\nto resist. The risen Lord, the assurance of a life to come, the\nguidance by the Spirit into all truth--these were now realities for\nthem, and were to be made real for the rest of the world by their\ntestimony.\n\nAnd that he may further magnify that salvation which he has been\ndescribing as published in part under the Law and now assured by the\nmessage of the Gospel, he adds, _which things angels desire to look\ninto_. Of the whole Divine plan for man's redemption the angels could\nhardly be cognisant. Of God's love for man they had been made\nconscious, had been employed as His agents in the exhibition of that\nlove, both under the old and under the new covenant. Their ministry,\nwe know, was exercised in the lives of Abraham and Lot; they watched\nover Jacob and over Elijah in their solitude and weariness. One of\ntheir host was sent to deliver Daniel and to instruct the prophet\nZechariah. At a later day they, who stand above mankind in the order\nof creation, and are pure enough to behold the presence of the Most\nHigh, were made messengers to announce how the Son of God had deigned\nto assume, not their nature, but the nature of humanity, and would by\nHis suffering lift up the race from its slavery to sin. They\nproclaimed the birth of the Baptist, and brought the message of the\nAnnunciation to the Blessed Virgin. They heralded the birth of Christ\nto the shepherds of Bethlehem, and a multitude of their glorious\ncompany sang the song of glory to God in the highest. They tended the\nGod-Man at His temptation, strengthened Him in His agony, were present\nat His sepulchre, and gave the news of the Resurrection to the early\nvisitants. Nor were their services at an end with Christ's ascension,\nthough they were present on that occasion also. To Cornelius and to\nPeter angels were made messengers, and our Lord has told us that\ntheir rejoicing is great over even one sinner that repenteth.\n\nThese immortal spirits whose home is before God's throne, and whose\ngreat office is to sing His praise, yet find in those ministrations to\nmankind in which they have been employed matter for admiration, matter\nwhich kindles in them fervent desire. They long to comprehend in all\nits fulness that grace which they are conscious God is shedding forth\nupon mankind. They would scan[4] all the workings of His love and His\nforbearance towards sinners. These things are to them a subject of\nadmiration, even as was the empty tomb of Jesus to the disciples after\nthe Resurrection; and from their high estate the angelic host would\nfain stoop down to gaze their fill upon what God's goodness has\nwrought and is working out for mankind. They feel that this knowledge\nwould add a new theme to the songs around the throne, would give them\nstill greater cause to extol that grace which manifests its noblest\nfeatures in showing mercy and pity.\n\n  [4] \u03c0\u03b1\u03c1\u03b1\u03ba\u03cd\u03c8\u03b1\u03b9 is the word employed to describe the stooping\n  of the disciples and Mary that they might look into the grave of Jesus\n  (Luke xxiv. 12; John xx. 5, 11).\n\nAnd if such be the aspiration of angels, sinless beings who feel not\nthe need of rescue, shall the tongues of men be dumb, men who know,\neach from the experience of his own heart, how great is the evil of\nsin in which they are entangled, how hopeless without Christ's death\nwas their deliverance from its thraldom; who know how constant and how\nundeserved is the mercy of which they are partakers, how true to\nHimself God has been in their case? \"I am Jehovah; I change not:\ntherefore ye children of men are not destroyed.\"\n\n\n\n\nIV\n\n_THE CHRISTIAN'S IDEAL, AND THE STEPS THEREUNTO_\n\n     \"Wherefore girding up the loins of your mind, be sober and set\n     your hope perfectly on the grace that is to be brought unto you\n     at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as children of obedience, not\n     fashioning yourselves according to your former lusts _in the time\n     of_ your ignorance: but like as He which called you is holy, be\n     ye yourselves also holy in all manner of living; because it is\n     written, Ye shall be holy; for I am holy. And if ye call on Him\n     as Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to\n     each man's work, pass the time of your sojourning in fear:\n     knowing that ye were redeemed, not with corruptible things, with\n     silver or gold, from your vain manner of life handed down from\n     your fathers; but with precious blood, as of a lamb without\n     blemish and without spot, _even the blood_ of Christ: who was\n     foreknown indeed before the foundation of the world, but was\n     manifested at the end of the times for your sake, who through Him\n     are believers in God, which raised Him from the dead, and gave\n     Him glory; so that your faith and hope might be in God.\"--1 PETER\n     i. 13-21.\n\n\nThe Apostle, who has set forth the character of the Christian's\nelection, who has given to the converts large assurance for the hope\nwhich he exhorts them to hold, who has proclaimed the exceeding glory\nof their inheritance in the future and how its nature had been\nforeshadowed in type and prophecy, now turns to those practical\nlessons which he would enforce from the doctrines of election and of\nthe future glory in heaven. Such glorious privileges cannot be looked\nforward to without awakening a sense of corresponding duties, and for\nthese he would not have them unprepared. _Wherefore_, he says, because\nyou have the assurance of what the best men of old only dimly foresaw,\n_girding up the loins of your mind, be sober_. The Apostle has in mind\nthe words of his Master, \"Let your loins be girded about, and your\nlamps burning; and be ye yourselves like unto men looking for their\nlord\" (Luke xii. 35, 36). The advent of the bridegroom may be sudden;\nthose who would be of his train must be prepared for their summons. To\nbe girt in body is a token of readiness for coming duty. And St.\nPeter's figure would speak more forcibly to Eastern ears than it does\nto ours. Without such girding the Oriental is helpless for active\nwork, the encumbrance of his flowing robes being fatal to exertion.\nThe heart of the Christian must be untrammelled with the cares, the\naffections, the pleasures of the world. He must be free to run the\nrace which lies before him, as was the well-girt prophet who ran\nbefore the royal chariot to the entrance of Jezreel.\n\nAnd the Christian life is no light care, as St. Peter pictures it.\nFirst, he says, _Be sober_. To train the mind to exercise\nself-restraint is no easy duty at any time, but specially in a season\nof religious excitement. We know how converts in the very earliest\ndays of Christianity were carried into excesses both in action and in\nword; and in every age of quickened activity some have been found with\nwhom freedom degenerated into licence, and emotion took the place of\ntrue religious feeling. The Jewish converts in the provinces of Asia\nmight be tempted to despise those who still clung to the ancient\nfaith, while some of those who had been won from heathenism might by\ntheir conduct alienate rather than win their brethren in Christ. We\ngather what was the nature of the peril when we find the Apostle (iv.\n7) urging this sobriety as a frame of mind to be cultivated even in\ntheir prayers, and St. Paul in his advice to Timothy combining the\nexhortation to sobriety with \"Suffer hardship; do the work of an\nevangelist\" (2 Tim. iv. 5). It is the frame of mind meet for the\nmaintenance of sound doctrine, utterly opposed to those itching ears\nwhich are only satisfied with teaching according to their own lusts.\nFitly therefore does our Apostle add to his first exhortation a second\nwhich will make the believers steadfast: _Set your hope perfectly on\nthe grace that is to be brought unto you_. In those early days this\ncounsel was not always easy to follow. There were many enticements to\nwavering, many trials which made the firm hold on strong faith\ndifficult to maintain. And with the \"perfectly\" must be combined that\nother sense of the word \"to the end.\" The hope must be perfect in its\nnature, unshaken in its firmness, persuaded of the certainty of the\nfuture grace, and strengthened in that persuasion by the experience of\nthe present working of the Spirit. But the language of the Apostle\nalmost anticipates the future. He says not so much that the grace is\n\"to be brought,\" but rather that it is even now \"being brought\" near\nand coming ever nearer; for the revelation of Jesus Christ is\nprogressive. Though we learn something, it is only so much as teaches\nus that there is more still to learn of the boundless stores of grace.\nBut as in a former verse he spake of believers as having already by\nfaith their salvation in possession, even such is his language here.\nAnd mark his lesson on the free gift of God s grace. It is not a\nblessing to which the believer can attain of his own power. He can\nhope for it; he can feel assured that God in His own time will bestow\nit. But whenever it comes, either as present grace to help in trial,\nor future grace which shall be revealed, it is given, brought,\nbestowed; and its full fruition will only be reached _at the\nrevelation of Jesus Christ_. But assuredly these words may be applied\nto this life as well as to the next. He who said, \"The Holy Spirit\nshall take of Mine and declare it unto you,\" designs to be ever more\nand more revealed in the hearts of His followers. His grace is being\nbrought to them day by day, and trains continually unto obedience\nthose who have been sprinkled with His blood.\n\nAnd this obedience is the next precept for which they are to be made\nready by the girding up of the loins of their minds, _as children of\nobedience_, the obedience not of slaves, but of sons. Children they\nare become by virtue of the new birth, and obedience it is which gives\nthem a claim upon God's Fatherhood. They must seek for the docility\nand trustfulness of the childlike character; they must accept a law\nother than their own wills, having taken upon them the yoke of Christ\nand aiming, in the light of His example, to become worthy of being\nreckoned among His true followers.\n\nWhen they contemplate their own lives, they must feel that a mighty\nchange is needed from what they were aforetime. St. Peter's words mark\nthe completeness of the needed change: _not fashioning yourselves\naccording to your former lusts_. In time past they had sought no\nfurther for a guide and pattern than their own perverted desires; now\nthey must school themselves to say, \"Do with me as Thou wilt, for I am\nThine.\" And He whose grace has begotten them again will help them to\nframe their lives by His rule, will have them learn of Him. But while\nthe Apostle dwells on the difference which must come over the lives of\nthese converts, mark the wondrous charity with which he alludes to\ntheir former life in error. _In the time of your ignorance_, he says.\nEven here he follows the example of the Lord, who prayed in His agony,\n\"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.\" Sin blinds the\nmoral and the mental vision too, and men so blinded sink deeper and\ndeeper into the slough, while he who has learnt Christ has gained\nanother source of light. But, to raise the ignorant, they must be\ntaught; and tenderness makes teaching most effective, and charity\ndictates the apostolic words. So St. Paul at Athens to those who\nworshipped an unknown God offered instruction to win them from their\nignorance, and pointed them to a God whose offspring they were, and to\nwhose likeness they might be conformed.\n\nJust so does St. Peter; _Like as He who called you is holy, be ye\nyourselves also holy in all manner of living_. This has been God's\ncall from the first day until now, but what a hopeless height is this\nfor the sinner to aim after, holy as God is holy! Yet it is the\nstandard which Christ sets before us in the Sermon on the Mount: \"Be\nye perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.\" And\nwhy does He propose to us that which is impossible? Because with the\ncommand He is ready to supply the power. He knows our frailty; knows\nwhat is in man both of strength and weakness. At the same time He\nproclaims to us by this command what God intends to make of us. He\nwill restore us again to His own likeness. That which was God's at\nfirst shall be made God's once more. The marred image, on which not\neven the superscription can be traced, shall again be revealed in\nfull clearness, and the believer purged from all the defilements of\nsin by the grace and help of Him who says, \"Be ye perfect,\" because He\nloves to make us so.\n\n_Because it is written, Ye shall be holy; for I am holy._ This command\ncomes down to us from the earliest days of the Law. But in those old\ntimes it could not be said, _in all manner of living_. These words\nbetoken the loftier standard of the New Testament. The patriarchs and\nprophets and the people among whom they lived were trained, and could\nonly be trained, little by little. Even in the best among them we\ncannot hope for holiness in all manner of living. It was only by the\ntypes and figures of external purification that their thoughts were\ndirected to the inner cleansing of the heart, and long generations\npassed before the lessons were learnt. The full sense of the\nFatherhood of God was not attained under the Law, nor did men under it\nlearn fully to live as children of obedience, children of a Father who\nloves and will succour every effort which they make to walk according\nto His law. The Incarnation has brought God nearer to man, and on this\nrelationship of love the Apostle grounds his further exhortation.\n\n_And if ye call on Him as Father, who without respect of persons\njudgeth according to each man's work, pass the time of your sojourning\nin fear._ But the fear which St. Peter means is a fear which grows out\nof love, a fear to grieve One who is so abundant in mercy. Who can\ncall on God as Father but the children of obedience? About the\nFather's will and His power to make you holy there need be no fear. He\nhas called men and bidden them strive after holiness. The way is\nsteep, but they will not be unattended. What fear then of failing to\nattain the goal? For the Father will also be the Judge. And here is\nthe ground for eternal hope and thankfulness, which the Apostle\nexpresses in words akin to those which he used in the house of\nCornelius: \"Now I see that God is no respecter of persons, but in\nevery nation he that feareth God and worketh righteousness is accepted\nwith Him.\" Yes, this is the fear which God looks for, not a paralysing\ndread which checks all effort and kills out all hope. Our Judge knows\nthat our work will be full of faults, but fear of Him must nerve us to\nmake the endeavour. It is not what men do, the feeble sum of their\nperformance, that He regards. The way, the spirit, the motive, from\nwhich it is wrought--these will be the ground of our Father's\njudgement. Hence the Gospel is a message for all the world alike. The\npoor and lowly, to whom no great deeds are possible, may through it\nlive a life of hope. It is not great gifts poured into the treasury\nfrom an abundant store that have value in His eyes, but the gifts\nwhich come with a heart's sacrifice--these are precious indications,\nand receive the blessing, \"They have done what they could.\" And God's\nchildren are to look on their life as no more than a brief pilgrimage.\nIt is a time of sojourning, in which the small occurrences are of\nlittle account.[5] Earth is to the Christian, what Egypt was of old to\nthe Hebrews, no home, but a place of trial and oppression of the\nenemy. God will bring His children forth, even as He did of old. But\nthe dread to be most entertained is lest the many attractions should,\nlike the flesh-pots of the history, win the affection of the pilgrims,\nand make them not unwilling to linger in the house of bondage and to\nthink lightly of peril which surrounds them there. The great\npreservative from this danger is to revive constantly the thought of\nthe great things which have been done for us. Be in fear of the world\nand its beguilements, says St. Peter, _knowing that ye were redeemed,\nnot with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain manner\nof life handed down from your fathers_. The redemption price is paid,\nhas been paid for all men. Shall any then be willing to tarry in their\nslavery? Ye were redeemed. The work is complete. \"It is finished,\" was\nthe last sigh of the dying Lord, who before had testified that His\ntrue disciples might be of good cheer, because He had overcome the\nworld.\n\n  [5] This would appeal with force to the hearts of those who were of\n  the dispersion. Therein they would behold a picture of what all\n  earthly life is as compared with the home to come.\n\nBut in the hearts of men the world and its allurements die very hard.\nThe men for whom St. Peter wrote would surely find this so. They had\nmany of them lived long either under Judaism or in heathendom, and\nwould be surrounded still by friends and kinsmen who clung to the\nancient teaching and customs. Prejudices were sure to abound, and the\nties of blood in such cases are very strong, as we know ourselves from\nmission experience in India. The Apostle speaks of their manner of\nlife as handed down from their fathers. He may have had in his thought\nthe corruption of the human race from the sin of our first parents.\nGeneration after generation has been involved in the consequences of\nthat primal transgression. But he probably thought rather of the\nconverts from idolatry and the life which they had led in their days\nof ignorance. Of God's covenant with the chosen people, though now it\nwas abolished, St. Peter would hardly speak as a _vain_ manner of\nlife. But to the worship of the heathen the word might fitly be\napplied. Paul and Barnabas entreat the crowd at Lystra, who would have\ndone sacrifice to them as to their gods, to turn from these\n_vanities_ to serve the living God (Acts xiv. 15); and to the\nEphesians St. Paul writes that they should no longer walk, as the\nother Gentiles walk, in the _vanity_ of their mind (Eph. iv. 17). The\nparents of such men, having themselves no knowledge, could impart none\nto their children, could not lift them higher, could not make them\npurer; and yet the ties of natural affection would plead strongly for\nwhat had been held right by their fathers for generations.\n\nBut the price which has been paid for their ransom may convince them\nhow precious they are in the eyes of a Father in heaven. They are\nredeemed _with precious blood, as of a lamb without blemish and\nwithout spot_, even the blood _of Christ_. For ages the offering of\nsacrifices had kept before the minds of Israel the need of a\nredemption, but they could do no more. The blood of bulls and goats\nand the ashes of a heifer suffice only to the purifying of the flesh,\nand can never take away sin. But now the true fountain is opened, and\nSt. Peter has learnt, and bears witness, what was the meaning of the\nwords of Jesus, \"If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with Me\" (John\nxiii. 8). The door of mercy is opened, that by the knowledge of such\nwondrous love the hearts of men may be opened also.\n\nAnd this counsel of God has been from all eternity. Christ _was\nforeknown before the foundation of the world_ as the Lamb to be\noffered for human redemption. The world and its history form but a\ntiny fragment of God's mighty works, and yet for mankind a plan so\noverflowing with love was included in the vision of Jehovah before man\nor his home had existence except in the Divine mind. Now by the\nIncarnation the secret counsel is brought to light, and the\nforetokenings of type and prophecy receive their interpretation. _He\nwas manifested at the end of the times for your sake._ He was made\nflesh, and tabernacled among men; He showed by the signs which He\nwrought that He was the Saviour drawing near to them that they might\ndraw near unto Him. His lifting up on the cross spake of the true\nhealing of the souls of all who would look unto Him. And when death\nhad done its work upon the human body, He was manifested more\nthoroughly as the beloved Son of God by His resurrection from the\ngrave. The first Christians felt that God's work was now complete,\nsalvation secured. It is not unnatural therefore that they should\nexpect the drama of the world's history soon to be closed. For the\nMaster had not seldom spoken of the coming of a speedy judgement.\nHence the age in which they lived seemed to merit the name of \"the end\nof the times.\" We now can see that the judgement of which Christ spake\nwas wrought in great part by the overthrow of Jerusalem, though His\nwords are still prospective, and will not find their entire fulfilment\ntill the close of human history; and the whole Christian era may be\nintended and included in \"the end of the times.\" This was the goal\ntowards which God's counsel had been moving since the world was made.\nNo new revelation is to be looked for, and we who live in the light of\nChrist's religion are those upon whom the ends of the world are come.\nIn this sense the words may be applied in every age and to every\ngeneration of Christians. To them, as to St. Peter's converts, the\npreacher may testify, \"For your sakes\" all this was planned and\nwrought, and may offer the ransom of the Saviour to His people,\nassured that in this speck of time Christ is being manifested for\ntheir sake also. For _they through Him are believers in God_, as the\nLord Himself hath testified. \"No man cometh unto the Father but by\nMe\"; \"I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.\" The words are as true\nto-day as when Christ was upon earth. Since the Fall the glory and\nmajesty of Jehovah have been unapproachable. Sin rendered man both\nunfit and unable to have the pure communion of the days of innocence.\nIt was the vision of Jesus by faith which brought Abraham near to God\nand filled him with joy. And so with all the saints and prophets of\nthe first covenant. They beheld Him, but it was afar off. They greeted\nthe maturing promises, but only as strangers and pilgrims upon earth.\nTo the Asian converts and to us also the testimony of St. Peter and\nhis fellows is from those who beheld the glory of God as it was\nmanifested in Christ, who saw Him when raised from the dead, and\nwatched His ascent into the glory of heaven. And by such witness faith\nin what God has wrought is confirmed. We are sure that He raised\nChrist from the dead; we are sure that He has received Him into glory:\nand thus through all generations the faith and hope of Christians are\nsustained and rest unshaken upon God.\n\n\n\n\nV\n\n_CHRISTIAN BROTHERHOOD: ITS CHARACTER AND DUTIES_\n\n     \"Seeing ye have purified your souls in your obedience to the\n     truth unto unfeigned love of the brethren, love one another from\n     the heart fervently: having been begotten again, not of\n     corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of God,\n     which liveth and abideth. For all flesh is as grass, and all the\n     glory thereof as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and\n     the flower falleth: but the word of the Lord abideth for ever.\n     And this is the word of good tidings which was preached unto you.\n     Putting away therefore all wickedness, and all guile, and\n     hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, as new-born\n     babes long for the spiritual milk which is without guile, that ye\n     may grow thereby unto salvation; if ye have tasted that the Lord\n     is gracious.\"--1 PETER i. 22-ii. 3.\n\n\nThat holy lives have been lived in solitude none would venture to\ndispute, and that devout Christians have found strength for themselves\nand given examples to the world by withdrawal from the society of\ntheir fellows is attested more than once in the history of\nChristendom. But with lives of such isolation and seclusion the New\nTestament exhibits little sympathy. To whatever preparation the\nChristian is exhorted, it is never with a view to himself. Though not\nof the world, he is to be in the world, that men may profit by his\nexample. The prayer of the Lord for His disciples ere He left them\nwas, not that they might be taken out of the world, but protected from\nits evils.\n\nChrist's intention was to found a Church, a communion, a brotherhood,\nand all His language looks that way: \"One is your Master, and all ye\nare brethren\"; \"So let your light shine before men that they may see\nyour good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.\" And of\nlike character is the teaching of the Epistles: \"Be kindly affectioned\nin love of the brethren\" (Rom. xii. 10); \"Let brotherly love continue\"\n(Heb. xiii. 1). We are in no way surprised therefore when St. Peter\nturns from his exhortations to personal sobriety, obedience, and\nholiness, and addresses the converts on the application of these\nvirtues, that through them they may bind in closer bonds the\nbrotherhood of Christ: _Seeing ye have purified your souls in your\nobedience to the truth unto unfeigned love of the brethren, love one\nanother from the heart fervently_. Obedience is the sole evidence by\nwhich the believer can show that God's call has wrought in him\neffectually. His election is of the Father's foreknowledge, his\nsanctification is the gift of the Holy Spirit, and it is the\nsprinkling of the blood of Christ which makes him fit for entry into\nthe house of the Father. In the Christian, so called and so aided,\nthere must be a surrender of himself to the guidance of that Spirit\nwhich deigns to guide him. The law in his members must be mortified,\nand another and purer law accepted as the rule of his life. This law\nSt. Peter calls \"the truth\" because it has been made manifest in its\nperfection in the life of Jesus, who is the Way, the Truth, and the\nLife. Of this example St. Paul testifies as \"the truth which is in\nJesus.\" He therefore who would cherish the Christian hope will purify\nhimself even as Christ is pure. The way and means unto such\npurification is obedience.\n\nThis first and most needful step the Apostle believes, from his\nknowledge of their lives, that these Asian converts have taken in\nearnest, and thus have attained to a love of their brethren which\ndiffers utterly from the love which the world exhibits, which is true,\nsincere, unfeigned. But the believer's life is a life of constant\nprogress. Daily advance is the evidence of vitality. All the language\nwhich Scripture applies to it proclaims this to be its character. It\nis called a walk, a race, a pilgrimage, a warfare. The Christian all\nhis life through will find himself so far from what Christ intends to\nmake him that he must ever be pressing forward. Hence, though they\nhave attained to a stage of purification, have put off in some degree\nthe old man, the Apostle's exhortation is, \"Press forward\"; \"Love one\nanother from the heart fervently.\" The English word describes a warmth\nand earnestness of love which is deep-seated and true, but the\noriginal expresses more than this, more of the sustained effort to\nwhich St. Peter is urging them. It points to incessant striving, to a\nconstancy like that of the prayers of the Church for the Apostle\nhimself when he was in prison, a prayer made unto God without ceasing.\nSo steadfast must be the Christian love; and such love the purified,\nundistracted heart alone can manifest, a heart which has been released\nfrom the entanglements of earthly ambitions and strivings, whose\naffections are fully set on the things above.\n\nSuch souls must be filled with the Spirit; a steadfastness like this\ncomes only of the new birth. And of this the converts are reminded in\nthe words which follow: _having been begotten again, not of\ncorruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of God_. It\nis true they are but at the outset of their Christian course; but if\nany man be in Christ, he is made a new creature. And in this\nconnexion the word of God might be taken in a twofold sense. First,\nthe Word who was made flesh, in whom was light; and the light was the\nlife of men. Through His resurrection God has begotten men again to a\nlife which shall know no corruption. But the figure which the Apostle\npresently employs of the withering grass and the falling flower\ncarries our mind rather to Christ's explanation of His own parable.\nThe seed is the word of God, _which liveth and abideth_. And\nthroughout the New Testament the life-possessing and life-giving power\nof the Gospel is made everywhere conspicuous. When it was first\nproclaimed, we read again and again, \"The word of God grew mightily\nand prevailed\" (Acts xii. 24, xix. 20); and the figurative language\nused to describe its character shows how potent is its might. It is\nthe sword of the Spirit (Eph. vi. 16); \"It is quick and powerful\"\n(Heb. iv. 12). By it Christ foiled the tempter. It makes those strong\nin whom it abides (1 John ii. 14). It is free, and not bound (2 Tim.\nii. 9). St. Paul calls it \"the power of God unto salvation\" (Rom. i.\n16), \"the word of truth, the gospel of salvation\" (Eph. i. 13), and\nsays, \"It comes, not in word only, but in power\" (1 Thess. i. 5). This\nis the incorruptible seed of which St. Peter speaks. And his words\nforce on our thoughts that for such a seed a fitting ground must be\nprepared, if the new life of which it is the source is to bear its due\nfruit. This preparation it is which the Apostle is anxious to enforce,\nthe purifying and cleansing of the seed-plot of men's hearts. They\nmust not be hardened so as to forbid it access, and leave it for every\nchance enemy to trample on or carry away; they must not be choked with\nalien thoughts and purposes: the cares of life, the pleasures of the\nworld. Such things perish in the using, and can have no affinity with\nthe living and abiding word of God, which, even as He, is eternal and\nunchanging.\n\nAnd herewith is bound up a very solemn thought. The word may be\nneglected, may be choked, in individual hearts; but still it liveth\nand abideth, and will appear to testify against the scorners: \"He that\nrejecteth Me and receiveth not My words hath one that judgeth him; the\nword that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. For\nI have not spoken of Myself\" (John xii. 48). But for those who accept\nthe message of the word and live thereby St. Peter's language is full\nof comfort, especially to those who are in like affliction with these\nAsian Christians. For them the acceptance of the faith of Jesus must\nhave meant the rending asunder of earthly ties; the natural\nbrotherhood would be theirs no longer. But they are enrolled in a new\nfamily, a family which cannot perish, whose seed is incorruptible,\nwhose kinship shall stretch forward and be ever enlarging through all\ntime and into eternity. For they, like the word by which they are\nbegotten again, will live and abide for evermore.\n\nAnd confirming this lesson by the prophecy of Isaiah (xl. 6-8), the\nApostle thus links together the ancient Scriptures and the New\nTestament. But in so doing he shows by his language how he regards the\nlatter as more excellent and a mighty advance upon the former. The\nmargin of the Revised Version helpfully indicates the difference of\nthe words. In Isaiah the teaching is styled a _saying_. It was the\nword whereby God, through some intermediary, made known His will to\nthe children of men. But under the Gospel the word is that living,\nspiritual power which is used as synonymous with the Lord Himself.\nThe word of good tidings has now been spoken unto men by a Son, the\nvery image of the Divine substance, the effulgence of God's glory, and\nnow possesses a might quick even to discern the thoughts and intents\nof the heart. This is verily the living word of God (Heb. iv. 12).\n\nAnd we of to-day can see what ground there was for the Apostle's faith\nand for his teaching, how true the prophetic word has been found in\nthe events of history. \"All flesh is as grass, and all the glory\nthereof as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower\nfalleth: but the word of the Lord abideth for ever.\" When we cast our\nthoughts back to the time when St. Peter wrote, we see the converts\nwho had accepted the word of God a mere handful of people amid the\nthrongs of heathendom, the religion which they professed the scorn of\nall about them, to the Jews a stumbling-block, to the Greeks\nfoolishness, and its preachers in the main a few poor, untrained,\nuninfluential men, of no rank or conspicuous ability. On the other\nhand, worshipping crowds proclaimed the greatness of Diana of the\nEphesians; and the power of the Roman empire was at its height, or\nseemed so, with the whole of the civilised world owning its sway. And\nnow that world's wonder, the temple at Ephesus, is a pile of ruins,\nand over the Roman power such changes have passed that it has utterly\nfaded out of existence; but the doctrines of the Galilean, who claimed\nto be the Incarnate Word of God, are daily extending their influence,\nproving their vitality to be Divine.\n\nBut though in his language he has seemed to mark the superiority of\nthe Gospel message, the Apostle is deeply conscious that the office of\nthe preacher has much, nay its chief character, in common with that\nof the prophet. Hence he proceeds to call the Gospel message, now\nthat it is left to lips of Evangelists and Apostles to proclaim, a\n_saying_ like that of Isaiah. In this way he links the New Testament\nto the Old, the prophet to the preacher. Both spake the same word of\nGod; both were moved by the same spirit; both proclaimed the same\ndeliverance, the one looking onward in hope to the coming Redeemer,\nthe other proclaiming that the redemption had been accomplished. \"This\nis the telling\" (the saying) \"of good tidings which was preached unto\nyou.\"\n\nHere St. Peter seems to allude to a preaching earlier than his own,\nand to none can we attribute the evangelisation of these parts of Asia\nwith more probability than to St. Paul and his missionary colleagues.\nBut there was no note of disagreement between these early ambassadors\nof Christ. They could all say of their work, \"Whether it were I or\nthey, so we preached, and so ye believed.\"\n\nHaving spoken of the seed, the Apostle now turns to the seed-plot\nwhich needs its special preparation. It must be cleared and broken up,\nor the seed, though scattered, will have small chance of roothold.\n\nBut here St. Peter recurs to his former metaphor. He has spoken (i.\n13) of the Christian's equipment, how with girded loins he should\nprepare himself for the coming struggle. He now speaks of what he must\nlay aside. He has been purified, or made to long after purification,\nthrough his obedience to the truth, so that he can with earnest desire\nseek to make known his love to the brethren; and the word of God is\npowerful to overcome such dispositions as are destructive of brotherly\nlove. Hence it is to no hopeless, unaided conflict that the Apostle\nurges his converts when he writes of their _putting away therefore\nall wickedness, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all\nevil speakings_. It is a formidable list of evils, but St. Peter's\nwords treat them as forming no part of the true man. These are\novergrowths, which can be stripped away, though the operation will\nmany a time be painful enough; they have enveloped and enclosed the\nsinner, and cling close about him, but the sanctification of the\nSpirit can help him to be unclothed of them all. They are the forces\nwhich make for discord. The word of good tidings began with \"peace on\nearth, goodwill towards men.\" Hence those who hearken to the message\nmust put away everything contrary thereto. First in the Apostle's\nenumeration stands a general term, _wickedness_, those which follow it\nbeing various forms of its development. We learn how utterly alien\nthis _wickedness_ is to the spirit of Christ when we notice the\nemployment of the word to describe the sin of Simon: \"Thou hast\nneither part nor lot in this matter, for thy heart is not right before\nGod\" (Acts viii. 22). Such a man had no comprehension of the source of\nthe apostolic powers; the sacred things of God were unknown to one who\ncould treat such gifts as merchandise. And it is full of interest in\nthe present connexion to observe that what our English version there\nrenders \"matter\" is really, as the margin (R.V.) shows, \"word.\" It was\nthe word of God which was mighty in the first preachers, which was\ngrowing and prevailing as they testified unto Christ, and in this\n\"word\" a heart like Simon's could have no share. He was no fit member\nof the fellowship of Christ.\n\n_Guile_ was the sin of Jacob, a sin which brake the bond of\nbrotherhood between him and Esau, and wrought so much misery in the\nwhole of Jacob's family history. Guile was not found in Nathanael. The\nsearching eye of Jesus saw that the sin of the \"supplanter\" was not in\nhim. Hence he is pointed out as an example of the true Israel, that\nwhich the race of Jacob was intended to become.\n\nThat _hypocrisy_ is a foe to brotherhood our Lord makes evident as he\nreproaches the Pharisees for this sin. \"I thank Thee that I am not as\nother men are, nor even as this publican,\" are words which could never\nrise to the lips of him whose heart was purified by the Spirit of God;\nand envy brings hatred in its train. It was by envy that Saul was\nincited to seek the death of David; it was from envy that Joseph's\nbrethren sold him into Egypt; through envy a greater than Joseph was\nsold to be crucified (Matt. xxvii. 18), and this sin led to war in\nheaven itself.\n\nFrom _evil-speaking_ these Asian converts themselves had to suffer,\nand would know by experience its mischievous effects. They were spoken\nagainst as evil-doers, as the Apostle notes twice over (1 Peter ii.\n12, iii. 15). This evil adds cowardice to its other baneful qualities,\nfor it takes advantage of the absence of him against whom it is\ndirected, and is that vice which in 2 Cor. xii. 20 is described as\n_backbiting_, a rendering which the Revised Version leaves\nundisturbed, while those who indulge in it are called _backbiters_\n(Rom. i. 30). St. James has much to say in its dispraise: \"Speak not\none against another, brethren. He that speaketh against a brother or\njudgeth his brother speaketh against the law, and judgeth the law\"\n(James iv. 11). Such a one is intruding into the prerogative of God\nHimself, and passing sentence where he can have no sure knowledge of\nthe acts which he judges. \"Evil-speaking,\" says one of the Apostolic\nFathers,[6] \"is a restless demon, never at peace. So speak no evil of\nany, nor take pleasure in listening thereto.\" By good works St. Peter\ninstructs his converts to live down such cowardly slanders, that those\nwho revile their good manner of life in Christ may be put to shame\nthereby. Purity will overcome iniquity, innocence gain the day against\ndeceit.\n\n  [6] Hermas, Mand. ii. 2.\n\nBut the transformation to which the Apostle exhorts them must be\nverily to become a new creation, and so he goes on to speak of their\ncondition as one akin to that of new-born babes. These by natural\ninstincts turn away from all that will hurt them, and seek only what\ncan nourish and support. To such right inclinations, to such\nsimplicity of desire, must the Christian be brought. He has been born\nagain of the word of God. From this he is to seek his constant\nnurture, as instinctively as the babe turns to its mother's breast.\nThis is able to save the soul (James i. 21), but it cannot be received\nunless the vices which war against it be put away, and a spirit of\nmeekness take their place. They seek other and less pure food for\ntheir support.\n\nChristians are to _long for the spiritual milk which is without\nguile_. This food for babes in Christ is the word, which is taken by\nthe Spirit and offered a nurture for the soul. But there must be a\nlonging for, a readiness to accept, what is offered. For the spiritual\nappeals to the reason of man, and though offered, is not forced on\nhim. The Spirit takes of the things of Christ and shows them unto us.\nAnd the purification, the clearing off and putting away corrupt\ndispositions, about which the Apostle speaks so earnestly, applies an\neye-salve to the inward vision which helps us to see things in their\ntrue light, and so to long for what is really profitable food without\nguile, which does not disappoint the hope of those that seek it. _That\nye may grow thereby unto salvation._ It is called the word of\nsalvation. \"To you,\" says St. Paul to the men of Antioch (Acts xiii.\n26), is the word of this salvation sent forth; and through it is\nproclaimed the remission of sins. The healthy condition of the life of\nthe soul is evidenced by these two signs: longing for proper food and\ngrowth by partaking thereof. For there is no standing still in\nspiritual life, any more than in the natural life. Where there is no\ngrowth, decay has already set in; if there be no waxing of the powers,\nthey have already begun to wane. To the natural human growth there\nmust needs come this waning; the body will decay: but the spiritual\nincrease can continue, must continue, until the stature of the fulness\nof Christ be attained, till we come to be made like unto Him when we\nsee Him as He is. Watch, then, strive and pray for growth, _if ye have\ntasted that the Lord is gracious_. The true food once found and\nappreciated, the joy of this support will be such that no other will\never be desired. Hence St. Peter adopts, or rather adapts, the words\nof the Psalmist (xxxiv. 9) who tells of the blessedness of trusting in\nthe Lord. The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear\nHim, and setteth them free. This is the initial stage: the deliverance\nfrom the power of evil. Then come the desire and longing for the true\nstrength. \"O taste and see that the Lord is gracious; blessed is the\nman that findeth refuge in Him.\" The joy of such a refuge can come\neven to those who are suffering after the fashion of the Asian\nconverts. But the Psalmist's words are full of teaching. God's\ntraining is empirical. Spiritual experience comes before spiritual\nknowledge. Well does St. Bernard say of this lesson, though his words\npass the power of translation, \"Unless you have tasted you will not\nsee. The food is the hidden manna; it is the new name which no one\nknows but he who receives it. It is not external training, but the\nunction of the Spirit, which teaches; it is not knowledge (_scientia_)\nwhich grasps the truth, but the conscience (_conscientia_) which\nattests it.\"\n\n\n\n\nVI\n\n_THE PRIESTHOOD OF BELIEVERS_\n\n     \"Unto whom coming, a living stone, rejected indeed of men, but\n     with God elect, precious, ye also, as living stones, are built up\n     a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual\n     sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Because it is\n     contained in Scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief\n     corner-stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on Him shall\n     not be put to shame. For you therefore which believe is the\n     preciousness: but for such as disbelieve, the stone which the\n     builders rejected, the same was made the head of the corner, and\n     a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence; for they stumble at\n     the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.\n     But ye are an elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a\n     people for _God's_ own possession, that ye may show forth the\n     excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His\n     marvellous light: which in time past were no people, but now are\n     the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have\n     obtained mercy.\"--1 PETER ii. 4-10.\n\n\nLeaving the exhortation to individual duties, the Apostle turns now to\ndescribe the Christian society in relation to its Divine Founder, and\ntells both of the privileges possessed by believers, and of the\nservices which they ought to render. He employs for illustration a\nfigure very common in Holy Scripture, and compares the faithful to\nstones in the structure of some noble edifice, built upon a sure\nfoundation. Such language on his lips must have had a deep\nsignificance. He was the rock-man; his name Peter was bestowed by\nChrist in recognition of his grand confession: and Jesus had\nconsecrated the simile which the Apostle uses by His own words, \"Upon\nthis rock I will build My Church\" (Matt. xvi. 18), words which were\ndaily finding a blessed fulfilment in the growth of these Asian\nChurches.\n\nA rock is no unusual figure in the Old Testament to represent God's\nfaithfulness, and its use is specially frequent in Isaiah and the\nPsalms. \"In the Lord Jehovah is an everlasting rock\" (Isa. xxvi. 4),\nsays the prophet; again he calls God \"the rock of Israel\" (xxx. 29);\nwhile the prayers of the Psalmist are full of the same thought\nconcerning the Divine might and protection: \"Be Thou my strong rock\nand my fortress\" (Psalm xxxi. 2); \"Lead me to the rock that is higher\nthan I\" (lxi. 2); \"O God, my rock and my Redeemer\" (xix. 14).\n\nBut the language of the New Testament goes farther than that of the\nOld. Strength, protection, permanence--these were attributes of the\nrock of which Isaiah spake and David sang. The life-possessing and\nlife-imparting virtue of the Spirit of Christ is a part of the glad\ntidings of the Gospel. Through Him were light and immortality brought\nto light. The rock which lives is found in Jesus Christ. In Him is\nlife without measure, ready to be imparted to all who seek to be built\nup in Him.\n\n_Unto whom coming, a living stone, rejected indeed of men, but with\nGod elect, precious._ By purification of thought, and act, and word,\nthat childlike frame has been sought after which fits them to draw\nnear; and they come with full assurance. Jesus they know as the\nCrucified, as the Lord who came to His own, and they received Him not.\nGenerations of preparation had not made Jewry ready for her King's\ncoming, had failed to impress the people with the signs of His\nadvent; and so they disowned Him, and cried, \"We have no king but\nC\u00e6sar.\" But the converts know Jesus also as Him who was raised from\nthe dead and exalted to glory. This honour He hath \"with God.\" No\nother than He could bring salvation. Therefore has He received a name\nthat is above every name. And \"with God\" here signifies that heavenly\nexaltation and glory. The sense is[7] as when Jesus testifies, \"I\nspeak what I have seen _with My Father_\" (John viii. 38)--that is, in\nheaven--or when He prays, \"Glorify me, O Father, _with Thine own\nself_\" (xvii. 5). From this excellent glory He sends down His Spirit,\nand gives to His people a share of that life which has been made\nmanifest in Him. Their part is but to come, to seek; and every one\nthat seeketh is sure to find.\n\n  [7] \u03a0\u03b1\u03c1\u1f70 \u03b8\u03b5\u1ff7 \u1f10\u03ba\u03bb\u03b5\u03ba\u03c4\u03cc\u03bd speaks of Christ in His glory, in that\n  place where the reward of the faithful is kept in store. Cf. the words\n  of Matt. vi. 1.\n\n_Ye also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house._ Not\nbecause they are living men does the Apostle speak of them as living\nstones. They may be full of the vigour of natural life, yet have no\npart in Christ. The life which joins men to Him comes by the new\nbirth. And the union of believers with Christ makes itself patent by a\ndaily progress. He is a living stone; they are to be made more and\nmore like Him by a constant drawing near, a constant drinking in from\nHis fulness of the life which is the light of men. In this light new\ngraces grow within them; old sins are cast aside. By this preparation,\nthis shaping of the living stones, the Spirit fits Christians for\ntheir place in the spiritual building, unites them with one another\nand with Christ, fashions out of them a true communion of\nsaints--saints, who, that they may advance in saintliness, have\nduties to perform both directly to God and for His sake to the world\naround. By diligence therein the upbuilding goes daily forward.\n\nFirst, they are _to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual\nsacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ_. From the day when\nGod revealed His will on Sinai, such has been the ideal set before His\nchosen servants. \"Ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests and a holy\nnation\" (Exod. xix. 6) stands in the preface of the Divinely given\nlaw. And God changes not. Hence the praise of the Lamb's finished work\nwhen He has purchased unto God men of every tribe, and tongue, and\npeople, and nation is sung before the throne in the self-same strain:\n\"Thou madest them to be unto God a kingdom and priests\" (Rev. v. 10).\nUnder the early dispensation God was leading men up from material\nsacrifices to pay unto Him true spiritual worship. The Psalmist has\nlearnt the lesson when he pleads, \"Offer the sacrifices of\nrighteousness, and put your trust in the Lord\" (Psalm iv. 6); and\nHosea's sense of what was well-pleasing to God is made clear in his\nexhortation, \"Take with you words and return unto the Lord; say unto\nHim, Take away all iniquity, and accept that which is good, so will we\nrender as bullocks the offering of our lips\" (xiv. 3). The Apostle to\nthe Romans is hardly more explicit than this when he urges, \"Present\nyour bodies a living sacrifice\" (xii. 1), or to the Hebrews, \"Let us\noffer up a sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit\nof lips which make confession to His name\" (xiii. 15).\n\nBut the Apostles could add to the exhortations of the prophets and\npsalmists a ground of blessed assurance, could promise how these\nliving sacrifices, these offerings of praise, had gained a certainty\nof acceptance through Jesus Christ: \"Through Him we have boldness and\naccess in confidence through our faith in Him\" (Eph. iii. 12); and in\nanother place, \"Having Him as a great Priest over the house of God,\"\nthat spiritual house into which believers are builded, \"let us draw\nnear with a true heart, in fulness of faith, having our hearts\nsprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure\nwater\" (Heb. x. 22). Thus do believers become priests unto God, in\nevery place lifting up holy hands in prayer, prayer which is made\nacceptable through their great High-priest.\n\nIt was only from oral teaching that these Asian Christians knew of\nthose lessons which we now can quote as the earliest messages to the\nChurch of Christ. The Scripture was to them as yet the Scripture of\nthe Old Testament, and to this St. Peter points them for the\nconfirmation which it supplies. And his quotation is worthy of notice\nboth for its manner and its matter: _Because it is contained in\nScripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief corner-stone, elect,\nprecious: and he that believeth on him shall not be put to shame._ The\npassage is from Isaiah (xxviii. 16); but a comparison with that verse\nshows us that the Apostle has not quoted all the words of the prophet,\nand that what he has given corresponds much more closely with the\nGreek of the Septuagint than with the Hebrew. The latter concludes,\n\"He that believeth shall not make haste,\" and contains some words not\nrepresented in the version of the Seventy. The variations which St.\nPeter accepts are such as to assure us that for him (and the same is\ntrue for the rest of the Apostles) the purport, the spiritual\nlessons, of the word were all which he counted essential. Neither\nChrist Himself nor His Apostles adhere in quotation to precise verbal\nexactness.[8] They felt that there lay behind the older record so many\ndeep meanings for which the fathers of old were not prepared, but\nwhich Gospel light made clear. To somewhat of this fuller sense the\ntranslators of the Septuagint seem to have been guided.[9] They lived\nnearer to the rising of the day-star. Through their labours God was in\npart preparing the world for the message of Christ. The words which\nIsaiah was guided to use express the confidence of a believer who was\nlooking onward to God's promise as in the future: \"He shall not make\nhaste.\" He knows that the purpose of God will be brought to pass;\nthat, as the prophet elsewhere says, \"the Lord will hasten it in its\ntime\" (lx. 22). Man is not to step in, Jacob-like, to anticipate the\nDivine working.\n\n  [8] For illustration of what is here said, Matt. xxi. 16 may be\n  compared with Psalm viii. 2, Acts xv. 15-17 with Amos ix. 11, 12, and\n  Eph. iv. 8 with Psalm lxviii. 18; and the list might be largely\n  increased.\n\n  [9] Hence the New Testament writers quote from the LXX. in a very\n  large proportion. The writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews quotes\n  nothing else.\n\nBut \"shall not be ashamed\" was a form of the promise more suited to\nthe days of St. Peter and these infant Churches. For the name of\nChrist was in many ways made a reproach; and only men of faith, like\nMoses and the heroes celebrated with him in Heb. xi., could count that\nreproach greater riches than the treasures of Egypt. Other and weaker\nhearts needed encouragement, needed to be pointed to the privileges\nand glories which are the inheritance of the followers of Jesus. And\nin this spirit he applies the prophetic words, _For you therefore\nwhich believe is the preciousness_. Faith makes real all the offers of\nthe Gospel. It opens heaven, as to the vision of St. Stephen, so that\nwhile they are still here believers behold the glory of God to which\nChrist has been exalted, are assured of the victory which has been won\nfor them, and that in His strength they may conquer also. Thus they\nreceive continually the earnest of those precious and exceeding great\npromises (2 Peter i. 4) whereby they become partakers of the Divine\nnature.\n\nBut all men have not faith. The Bible tells us this on every page. God\nknows what is in man, and in His revelation He has set forth not only\ninvitations and blessings, but warnings and penalties. Life and good,\ndeath and evil--these have been continually proclaimed as linked\ntogether by God's law, but ever with the exhortation, \"Choose life.\"\nOf such warning messages St. Peter gives examples from prophecy and\npsalm: _But for such as disbelieve, the stone which the builders\nrejected, the same was made the head of the corner_ (Psalm cxviii.\n22), _and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence_ (Isa. viii. 14);\n_for they stumble at the word, being disobedient_. Here the Apostle\ntouches the root of the evil. The test of faith is obedience. It was\nso in Eden; it must be ever so. But now, as then, the tempter comes\nwith his insidious questionings, \"Hath God said?\" and sowing doubts,\nhe goes his way, leaving them to work; and work they do. Now it is the\ntruth, now the wisdom, of the command, that men stumble at. But in\neach case they disobey. Those leave it unobserved; these despise and\nset it at nought. And the penalty is sure. For mark the twofold aspect\nof God's dealing which is set forth in the passages chosen by St.\nPeter to enforce his lesson. Spite of man's disobedience, God's\npurpose is not thwarted. The stone which He laid in Zion has been made\nthe head of the corner. Though rejected by some builders, it has lost\nnone of its preciousness, none of its strength. Those who draw near\nunto it find life thereby; are made fit for their places in the Divine\nbuilding, in the kingdom of the Lord's house which He will most surely\nestablish as the latter days draw on. But they who disobey are\noverthrown. The despised stone, which is the sure word of God, rises\nup in men's self-chosen path, and makes them fall, and at the last, if\nthey persist in despising it, will appear for their condemnation.\n\n_Whereunto also they were appointed._ The Apostle has in mind the\nwords of Isaiah, how the prophet, in that place from which he has just\nquoted, declares that many shall stumble and fall, and be broken, and\nbe snared, and be taken. This is the lot of the disobedient. These\npenalties dog that sin. It is the unvarying law of God. The Bible\nteaches this from first to last, by precepts as well as by examples.\nThe disobedient must stumble. But the Bible does not teach that any\nwere appointed unto disobedience. Such fatalist lessons are alien to\nGod's infinite love. The two ways are set before all men. God tries us\nthus because He has gifted us above the rest of creation, that we may\nrender Him a willing service. But neither prophet nor Apostle teaches\nthat to stumble is to be finally cast away. Both picture God's mercy\nin as large terms as those in which St. Paul speaks of the Jews: \"Did\nGod cast off His people? God forbid.... They, if they continue not in\ntheir unbelief, shall be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in\nagain\" (Rom. xi.).\n\nA hardening in part hath befallen Israel, and to the Church of Christ\nthere is offered the blessedness which aforetime was to be the portion\nof the chosen people. But the offer is made on like terms of obedient\nservice, and involves large duties. St. Peter marks the likeness of\nthe two offers by choosing the words of the Old Testament to describe\nthe Christian calling, with its privileges and its duties. Believers\nin Christ are a peculiar treasure unto God from among all people, a\nkingdom of priests, and a holy nation, even as was said to Israel\n(Exod. xix. 5, 6) when they came out of Egypt and received the Law\nfrom Sinai. But among the dispersion, for whom he writes, there were\nthose who had been heathens, as well as the converts from Judaism.\nThat he may show them also to be embraced in the new covenant, and\ntheir calling contemplated under the old, the Apostle points to\nanother of God's promises, where Hosea (i. 10; ii. 23) tells of the\ngrace that was ready to be shed forth on them which in time past were\nno people, but now are the people of God, which had not obtained\nmercy, but now have obtained mercy. Thus all, Jew and Gentile, are to\nbe made one holy fellowship, one people for God's own possession.\n\nAnd this kingdom of God's priests has its duty to the world as well as\nunto God. Israel in time past was chosen to be God's witness to the\nrest of mankind, so that when men saw that no nation had God so nigh\nunto them as Jehovah was whenever Israel called upon Him, that no\nnation had statutes and judgements so righteous as all the Law which\nhad been given from Sinai, they might be constrained to say, \"Surely\nthis great nation is a wise and understanding people,\" and might\nthemselves be won to the service of a God so present and so holy. And\nnow each member of the Christian body, while offering himself a living\nsacrifice to God, while delighting to do His will, while treasuring\nHis law, is to exercise himself in wider duties, that God's glory may\nbe displayed unto all men. One of the psalmists, whose words have been\nin part referred to Christ Himself, testifies how this priesthood for\nmankind should be fulfilled: \"I have published righteousness in the\ngreat congregation; lo, I will not refrain my lips, O Lord, Thou\nknowest. I have not hid Thy righteousness within my heart; I have\ndeclared Thy faithfulness and Thy salvation; I have not concealed Thy\nloving-kindness and Thy truth from the great congregation\" (Psalm xl.\n9, 10). These were the excellencies which the Psalmist had found in\nGod's service, and his heart ran over with desire to impart the\nknowledge unto others. With juster reason shall Christ's servants be\nprompted to a like evangel. They cannot hold their peace, specially\nwhile they consider how great blessings those lose who as yet own no\nallegiance to their Master.\n\n_That ye may show forth the excellencies of Him who called you out of\ndarkness into His marvellous light._ This theme fills the rest of the\nletter. The Apostle teaches that in every condition this duty has its\nplace and its opportunities. Subjects may fulfil it, as they yield\nobedience to their rulers, servants in the midst of service to their\nmasters, wives and husbands in their family life, each individual in\nthe society where his lot is cast, and specially those who preside\nover the Christian congregations. Wherever the goodness of God's mercy\nhas been tasted, there should be hearts full of thanksgiving, voices\ntuned to the praise of Him who has done great things for them. Lives\nled with this aim will make men to be truly what God designs: a holy\nnation; a kingdom of priests. And ever as men walk thus will the\nkingdom for which we daily pray be brought nearer.\n\nThe opportunities for winning men to Christ differ in modern times\nfrom those which were open to the earliest Christian converts; but\nthere is still no lack of adversaries, no lack of those by whom the\nhope of the believer is deemed unreasonable: and now, as then, the\ngood works which the opponents behold in Christian lives will have\ntheir efficacy. These cannot for ever be spoken against. A good manner\nof life in Christ shall, through His grace, finally put the gainsayers\nto shame. They shall learn, and gain blessing with the lesson, that\nthe stone which they have so long been rejecting has been set up by\nGod to be the foundation of His Church, the head stone of the corner,\nand the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.\n\n\n\n\nVII\n\n_CHRISTIANS AS PILGRIMS IN THE WORLD_\n\n     \"Beloved, I beseech you, as sojourners and pilgrims, to abstain\n     from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; having your\n     behaviour seemly among the Gentiles; that, wherein they speak\n     against you as evil-doers, they may by your good works, which\n     they behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. Be subject to\n     every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the\n     king, as supreme; or unto governors, as sent by him for vengeance\n     on evil-doers and for praise to them that do well. For so is the\n     will of God, that by well-doing ye should put to silence the\n     ignorance of foolish men: as free, and not using your freedom for\n     a cloak of wickedness, but as bondservants of God. Honour all\n     men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.\"--1 PETER\n     ii. 11-17.\n\n\nThe Apostle opens his exhortations with a word eminently Christian:\n_Beloved_. It is a word whose history makes us alive to and thankful\nfor the Septuagint Version. Without that translation there would have\nbeen no channel through which the religious ideas of Judaism could\nhave been conveyed to the minds of the Western peoples. There are\nseveral Greek words which signify \"to love,\" but bound up with every\none of them is some sense which renders it ill-fitted to describe true\nChristian love and still less suited for expressing the love of God to\nman. The word in the text has been fashioned to tell of that love\nwhich St. Paul describes in his \"more excellent way\" (1 Cor. xiii.).\nIn classic speech it implies more of the outward exhibition of\nwelcome, than of deep affection. But the translators of the Septuagint\nhave taken it specially for themselves, and use it first to express\nthe love of Abraham for Isaac (Gen. xxii. 2); and, thus consecrating\nand elevating it, they have brought it at length to great dignity, for\nthey employ it to signify the love of the Lord for His people and the\nhighest love of man to God: \"The Lord preserveth all them that love\nHim\" (Psalm cxlv. 20); \"The Lord loveth the righteous\" (cxlvi. 8). So\nin the New Testament it can be used of the \"well-beloved\" Son Himself.\nWith such an expression of their union to each other in the Lord does\nSt. Peter preface his admonitions. They are counsels of love.\n\n_I beseech you, as sojourners and pilgrims._ The Christian looks for a\nlife eternal. In comparison thereof the best things of this time are\nof little account, while the evil of the world renders it no safe\nresting-place. It is but as a lodging for a brief night, and at dawn\nthe traveller sets forward for his true home. Hence the argument of\nthe apostolic entreaty. You have no long time to stay, and none to\nwaste; your motto is ever, \"Onward!\" _I beseech you to abstain from\nfleshly lusts, which war against the soul._ Of the perils of life's\njourney the Psalmist gives us a telling sketch in the first verse of\nPsalm i.; and if we may accept the words as the outcome of David's\nexperience, they teach us the subtlety of these lusts of the flesh, as\nthey war against the soul. They had led David to adultery and murder.\nThe first stage of the course through which they carry you is\ndescribed as walking by the counsel of the ungodly. It is not being of\ntheir number, but only being ready to accept their advice; and though\nthe course has begun, it is still possible for him who walks to turn\nround and to turn back. The next step shows captivation. The man\nstands in the way of sinners, not afraid of his company now, though\nthey have a taint of positive guilt instead of the negative character\nof ungodliness. But the war against the soul goes on; and the captive\nat the next stage sinks down willingly, is pleased with his chains,\nsits in the seat of the scorners, as ready now as they to make a mock\nat sin. With good reason does St. Peter use most solemn words of\nentreaty. The peril at all times is great. The flesh warreth against\nthe spirit. We cannot do the things that we would. But for these men\nthe danger was extreme. Some of them had lived in surroundings where\nsuch sins were counted a part of religious duty; had the support of\nlong prescription; were sanctioned and indulged in by those of the\nconvert's own blood.\n\nYet the Apostle does not counsel the new-made Christians to run away\nfrom this battle. They owe a duty to those who are out of the way, and\nmust not shrink from it, be it ever so painful: _having your behaviour\nseemly among the Gentiles_. Their lives are to be led in the sight of\ntheir fellow-men, to be so led as to have the approval of a clear\nconscience, and to be void of offence in the eyes of others. This\noutward seemliness is what Christian love exhibits as a testimony to\nChrist's grace and an attraction unto the world, making known unto all\nmen the unsearchable riches of Christ: _that, wherein they speak\nagainst you as evil-doers, they may by your good works, which they\nbehold, glorify God in the day of visitation_. The seemly conduct of\nbelievers must be continuous, or it will fail of its effect. It is not\none display of Christian conduct, nor occasional spasmodic\nmanifestations thereof, which will win men to love the way of Christ.\nAnd this is the result without which Christ's people are not to rest\nsatisfied. The evil reports of the adversaries are ill-grounded, but\nthey do not think so; and the only means of removing their perverse\nview is by a continuous revelation of the excellence of Christ's\nservice. They may rail, but we must bless; they may persecute: we must\nnot retaliate, but returning good always for their evil, make them see\nat length that this way which they are attacking has a character and a\npower to which they have been strangers. This enlightenment is implied\nin the word \"behold\": _They behold your good works_. It denotes\ninitiation into a mystery. And to unbelievers Christ's religion must\nbe a mystery. The clearing of the vision leads them up to faith. The\nword in every place where it occurs in the New Testament is St.\nPeter's own, and he employs it once (2 Peter i. 16) to describe the\nvision, the insight, into the glory of Christ, which he and his\nfellows gained at the Transfiguration. Such a sight removes all\nquestionings, and constrains the enlightened soul to join in the\nexclamation, \"Lord, it is good for us to be here.\" The victory for\nChrist is to be won on the very ground where the opposition was made.\nIn the very matter over which the enemy reviled, there shall they\npraise God for that which they erewhile maligned. This it is which\nconstitutes their day of visitation. Some have thought the visitation\nintended was to be one of punishment for obstinate withstanding of the\ntruth, but it surely harmonises better with the glory of God that the\ndispensation should be one of instruction and light. We seem to have a\nnotable example of what is meant in the history of St. Paul. He in all\nearnestness persecuted the Way unto the death. The day of visitation\ncame to him, a day which, while darkening the bodily vision, gave a\nclearness to the soul. The persecutor became the Apostle to the\nGentiles, and the world bore him witness that now he preached the\nfaith of which he had once made havoc (Gal. i. 23). This was God's own\nconquest, but in the same manner will believers be helped to win their\nvictory. They are to aim at nothing less, never to rest content till\nthe accusers of their good deeds are brought to glory in the\nperformance of the same. So was Justin Martyr won to the side of\nChristianity: \"When I heard the Christians accused and saw them\nfearless of death and of everything else that is counted fearful, I\nwas sure they could not be living in wickedness and in the love of\npleasures\" (2 Apol. xii.). Well-doing shall not fail of its reward.\nMen will testify, as of Isaac of old \"We saw plainly that the Lord was\nwith thee, and we said, Let there now be an oath betwixt us\" (Gen.\nxxvi. 28).\n\nThe Apostle now turns to one illustration of Christian behaviour\nwherein the converts might be tempted to think themselves absolved\nfrom some portion of their duty. They were living under heathen\nrulers. Did their freedom in Christ release them from obligations to\nthe civil powers? The question was sure to arise. St. Peter supplies\nboth a rule and a reason: _Be subject to every ordinance of man for\nthe Lord's sake_. Christians, just as other men, hold their place in\nthe commonweal. All that the state requires citizens to do in aid of\ngood government, order, the support of institutions and the like, will\nfall upon them, as upon others. Whether the demands made upon them in\nthis wise be always for ends of which they would approve, they are not\nto discuss so long as their rulers provide duly for the social order\nand welfare. This is the apostolic rule. The reason is, Men are to\nsubmit thus for the Lord's sake. The powers that be are ordained of\nGod, and He would have obedience yielded to them. The Bible knows\nnothing about forms of government; these are to be ordered as men at\nvarious times and under various conditions deem most helpful. But the\nBible doctrine is that God uses all powers of the world for His own\npurposes and to work out His will. Of Pharaoh, who had deliberately\ndespised God's messages through Moses, the Divine voice declared that\nhe would long ago have been cut off from the earth, but was made to\nstand that he might show God's power, and that His name might be\ndeclared throughout all the earth (Exod. ix. 15, 16); and of the\nAssyrian at a later day (Isa. x. 10, 12) God tells how he was used as\nthe rod of the Divine anger, but that the fruit of his stout heart and\nthe glory of his high looks would surely be punished. God employs for\nHis ends instruments with which He is not always well-pleased. These\ncan inflict His penalties, yea even may be made to advance His glory.\nPilate was assured by Christ Himself that the power which he was about\nto exercise was only by Divine permission: \"Thou wouldest have no\npower against Me except it were given thee from above\" (John xix. 11);\nand St. Paul enforces obedience to authorities equally with St. Peter:\n\"He that resisteth the power withstandeth the ordinance of God\" (Rom.\nxiii. 2). Be subject, therefore, _whether it be to the king, as\nsupreme; or unto governors, as sent by him for vengeance on evil-doers\nand for praise to them that do well_. The order under which these\nconverts were living was superintended by some officer appointed by\nthe Roman emperor, and to this the form of the Apostle's words\napplies. The king is the C\u00e6sar; the governor is the procurator or\nsubordinate official by whom the imperial power was represented in the\nprovinces. When St. Peter wrote, Nero ruled in Rome, and was\nrepresented abroad by ministers often of a like character.\n\nHow extreme must after this be the case of those who would claim\nfreedom to resist the rulers under whom they live. God has allowed\nthem to stand, He is using them for His own purposes, they may be the\nministers of His vengeance, and to Him alone does vengeance belong. He\nintends them also to recognise the merit of the doers of good. It may\nbe that they do not fulfil God's intent in either wise, yet while He\nsuffers them to keep their power the Christian's duty is obedience to\nevery civil enactment, for anarchy would be a curse both to him and to\nothers, bringing in its train more hurt than help. When Christians\nshall be found among those who abide by the law of the lands wherein\nthey dwell, even should their faith not be accepted by their rulers,\ntheir good citizenship will hardly fail to disarm hatred and abate\npersecution. And so they are to range themselves ever on the side of\norder. _For so is the will of God, that by well-doing ye should put to\nsilence the ignorance of foolish men._ For this end believers are to\nabide in the world, that through them the world may be renewed. The\nopponents of their faith suffer, says the Apostle, from lack of\nknowledge. As he says in another place, \"they rail in matters whereof\nthey are ignorant\" (2 Peter ii. 12). Had men known, they would not\nhave crucified the Lord of glory; and did they know, they would not\npersecute His followers. But knowledge will not come without a\npreacher. Such preachers of the excellence of their faith shall the\nlaw-abiding Christians in each community be made. They shall publish\nthe lessons of their own experience; they shall win favour by their\nexample. The world will recognise that these men have a secret which\nothers do not possess, will find that they yield obedience to earthly\nrulers because they are above all things servants of God. It was\nthrough convicting them of their ignorance that Jesus put the\nSadducees to silence. \"Ye do err,\" was His argument, \"not knowing the\nScriptures nor the power of God\" (Matt. xxii. 34). And when men are\nmade sensible of such ignorance, they are silenced for very shame (1\nCor. xv. 34). This word \"silenced\" is very expressive both in the\nGospel and here. It implies that a bridle or muzzle is put upon the\nmouth of ignorance, so that it may either be guided into a better way,\nor, if not so, be checked from doing harm. For some there are who not\nonly will be ignorant, but foolish also, whom no teaching will profit.\nBut even these will in the end be silenced. So, as says the brother\nApostle, \"be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good\" (Rom.\nxii. 21).\n\nThe first part of the Apostle's exhortation in our verse had in view,\nit may be, more especially the Gentile converts. Their past life had\nbeen one of evil-doing in the sight of God; those whom they had left,\nand who were most likely to be their adversaries, were still walking\nin the same ways, and were to be won over and conquered for Christ. He\nnow turns more directly to those who had been Jews. These were no\nlonger bound to the observance of the ceremonial law, and we know from\nthe New Testament as well as from Church history that with this\nrelease there were exhibited in the lives of many such excesses as\nmade them a disgrace to the Christian name. We find much about these\nin the Second Epistle. St. Peter would not keep the Jewish converts\nunder the burden of the Law, but he warns them against their besetting\ndanger: _as free, and not using your freedom for a cloak of\nwickedness, but as bondservants of God_. There were bad Jews, even as\nthere have been bad Christians. These would welcome a rule which set\nthem at liberty from the Mosaic observances, to which their adherence\naforetime had been in outward seeming rather than in earnest zeal. To\nthese St. Peter preaches that to lay aside Judaism is not to embrace\nChristianity. The Leader of the new faith had ever taught a different\nlesson. He came not to destroy the Law, but to fulfil it, and to set\nforth God's will in a nobler aspect. Those who would follow Him must\ntake up the cross. His service is a yoke which restrains from all\nevil. Those who come to Christ come as bondservants of God, free only\nbecause they are bound to the observance of the noblest law. They must\nlay aside the flesh, with its affections and lusts, and not vindicate\ntheir freedom by using it as an occasion to riot and self-indulgence.\n\nAnd the Apostle binds together all his teaching in four closing\nprecepts: _Honour all men; Love the brotherhood; Fear God; Honour the\nking_. All men, without distinction, are to be honoured, because in\nall there remains the image of God. It may be defaced, blurred\nexceedingly. The more needful is it to deal considerately with such,\nthat we may help to restore what has been marred. Those who are our\nbrethren in Christ, the brotherhood, we shall own with affection,\nseeking to be of one heart and one soul with them, because they belong\nto Christ. For them we shall have, if we be true to our faith, that\nmighty love which passeth in excellence both faith and hope. But the\nexhortation of St. Peter speaks in this wise: Ye who hold your\nbrethren in Christ unspeakably dear, do not allow that love to\nsuffice, to swallow up all regard for other men. They also need your\nthoughts, your help. The heathen, the unbelievers--these have the\nstrongest possible claim, even their great need. And so with the other\npair of precepts. Ye who fear God, which is your foremost duty, do not\nlet that fear lessen your willingness to do honour to your earthly\nrulers. The feelings toward God and the king differ in character and\nin degree, but both have their place in proper share in the heart of\nthe true servant of Christ.\n\n\n\n\nVIII\n\n_CHRISTIAN SERVICE_\n\n     \"Servants, be in subjection to your masters, with all fear; not\n     only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. For this is\n     acceptable, if for conscience toward God a man endureth griefs,\n     suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if, when ye sin, and\n     are buffeted _for it_, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when\n     ye do well and suffer _for it_, ye shall take it patiently, this\n     is acceptable with God. For hereunto were ye called: because\n     Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that ye\n     should follow His steps: who did no sin, neither was guile found\n     in His mouth: who, when He was reviled, reviled not again; when\n     He suffered, threatened not; but committed _Himself_ to Him that\n     judgeth righteously; who His own self bare our sins in His body\n     upon the tree, that we, having died unto sins, might live unto\n     righteousness; by whose stripes ye were healed. For ye were going\n     astray like sheep, but are now returned unto the Shepherd and\n     Bishop of your souls.\"--1 PETER ii. 18-25.\n\n\nThe Gospel history shows very clearly that during our Lord's lifetime\nHis followers were drawn largely from the ranks of the poor. It was\nfitting that He who had been proclaimed in prophecy as \"the Servant of\nthe Lord\" should enter the world in humble estate; and, from the lowly\nposition of the virgin-mother and her husband, the life of Jesus for\nthirty years must have been spent in comparative poverty and amid poor\nsurroundings. The major part of His chosen disciples were fisherfolk\nand such-like. And though we read of the wife of Herod's steward among\nthe women who ministered unto Him and of the richer Joseph of\nArimath\u00e6a as a secret disciple, these are marked exceptions. To the\npoor His Gospel was preached, and among the poor it first made its\nway. The question of the chief priests, \"Hath any of the rulers\nbelieved on Him, or the Pharisees?\" (John vii. 48), tells its own\ntale, as does also the significant record, \"The common people heard\nHim gladly\" (Mark xii. 37).\n\nIt need not therefore much surprise us if St. Peter, now that he\nbegins to classify his counsels, addresses himself first to \"household\nservants\": _Servants, be in subjection to your masters, with all\nfear_. We have, however, to bear in mind, as we consider the Apostle's\nexhortation, that most of those whom he addresses were slaves. They\nhad no power of withdrawing themselves, though their service should\nprove burdensome and grievous. St. Paul, in writing to the same class,\nnearly always employs the word which means \"bondservants.\" Yet his\ncounsel agrees with St. Peter's. Thus he exhorts that their service be\n\"with fear and trembling\" (Eph. vi. 5); in Col. iii. 22, \"Obey in all\nthings them that are your masters.\" And to Timothy and Titus it is\ngiven as a part of their charge to \"exhort servants to be in\nsubjection to their own masters and to be well-pleasing to them in all\nthings\" (1 Tim. vi. 1; Titus ii. 9).\n\nWhen St. Peter and St. Paul wrote, this slave population was\neverywhere very numerous. Gibbon calculates that in the reign of\nClaudius the slaves were at least equal in number to the free\ninhabitants of the Roman world; Robertson places the estimate much\nhigher. These formed, then, a very large share of the public to which\nthe first preachers had to appeal, and we can understand the\nimportance to the Christian cause of the behaviour of these humble,\nbut doubtless most numerous, members of the society. Their lives\nwould be a daily sermon in the houses of their masters. Hence the very\nearnest exhortations addressed to them that by their conduct they\nshould adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things; that they\nshould count their masters worthy of all honour; that the name of God\nand of the doctrine be not blasphemed; that they should be in\nsubjection _with all fear_. Everything in the New Testament concerning\nslaves goes to show that they were a most important factor in the\nearly Christian societies.\n\nMen wonder nowadays that there is so little said by any of the\nApostles about freeing slaves from their bondage. The best men in\nthose times and long before appear to have regarded slavery as one of\nthe institutions with which they were bound to rest content. It\nflourished everywhere; it was countenanced in the Scriptures of the\nolder dispensation. Eleazar was Abraham's slave, and the Law in many\npassages contemplates the possession by Israelites of persons who were\nbought with their money. Hence we find no remonstrance against\nslave-holding in the New Testament writings, only advice to those who\nwere in such bondage to cultivate a spirit which would render it less\ngalling and to strive that by their behaviour the cause of Christ\nmight be advanced. St. Paul represents the ideas of his age when,\nwriting to the Corinthians, he says, \"Wast thou called being a\nbondservant? Care not for it; but if thou canst be made free, use _it_\nrather\" (1 Cor. vii. 21). Freedom was worth having, but any heroic\neffort to get rid of the yoke is not encouraged in the Epistles. Yet\nit must have been a lot which called for the exercise of much moral\nstrength to make it bearable. Even from the house of the Christian\nPhilemon the slave Onesimus found cause to run away. But St. Paul in\nhis letter admits no right on the slave's part to take this course.\nWith the Apostle there is no question that the first duty is to go\nback to his master. All that he urges is that the common profession of\nChristianity by slave and master ought to, and doubtless would,\nalleviate the conditions of servitude. There were in Christianity, as\ntime has shown, germs which would fructify, a spirit which some day\nwould strike on the chains of slaves. But the vision of such a time\nhad not dawned either for St. Paul or St. Peter. Christ has overcome\nthe world in many other matters beside slavery. It is only that\nChristians are so tardy in awaking to the fulness of His lessons.\n\nSo in apostolic days the rights and claims of slave-masters were\nlooked upon as indisputable. Be subject, _not only to the good and\ngentle, but also to the froward_. There is to be no resistance, no\nlapse in duty. About service rendered to good masters there might be\nlittle apprehension, but even here St. Paul finds occasion for\nwarning. \"They that have believing masters,\" he says, \"let them not\ndespise them because they are brethren\" (1 Tim. vi. 2). Christian\nfreedom was not without its dangers in many forms, especially to minds\nwherein liberty was a strange idea. But froward masters are to be\nfaithfully served likewise, and care is to be taken withal to remove\nevery occasion for their frowardness. The apostolic lesson is to make\nsuffering endurable, noble, acceptable to God, by seeing that it be\nalways undeserved. How strange a doctrine this in the eyes of the\nworld! The rule of purely human conduct would be just the opposite. If\nwrong be undeserved, rebel at once. Christianity supplies a motive\nfor the contrary course: _conscience toward God_. The world's spirit\nis not His spirit, and to have praise with Him should be the\nChristian's single aim. Men can at times be patient when rebuke is\ndeserved, but the world sees that that deserves no credit. \"What thank\nhave ye?\" they cry. But they give no praise for the bearing of\nunmerited rebuke.\n\nThe world counts such conduct weakness, and is still far from\ncomprehending the Divineness of the virtue of yielding patiently to\nwrong. God has long been teaching the lesson, but it has been slowly\nlearnt. He chose the milder, timid Jacob rather than the fiery Esau.\nBoth had faults in multitude. With the world Esau is oft the\nfavourite. At a later day He stamps with approval the noble mercy of\nDavid in sparing Saul, while round Daniel and his companions in\nBabylon there gathers something of a halo of New Testament sanctity by\nreason of the noble confession which they made under persecution.\nThese are chapters in the Divine lesson-book. Such lives marked stages\nin the preparation for the Servant of the Lord. Men, if they would\nhave hearkened, were being trained to estimate such a character at\nGod's value. Now Christ's example is before us, and we are bidden to\nfollow it.\n\n_For hereunto were ye called._ Strange invitation to be dictated by\nlove, a call to suffering! And yet the Master at first promises\nnothing else to His followers: \"If any man would come after Me, let\nhim deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me\" (Matt. xvi.\n24). And what can a Christian wish for but to be like Christ? And the\nvery reason given ought to make us love the cross. We are called unto\nsuffering because Jesus suffered for us, leaving us an example that we\nshould follow His steps. He has trodden the hard road, the winepress\nof the wrath of God, alone and for men. At this point the Apostle\nbegins to apply to Christ Isaiah's description of the suffering\n\"Servant of the Lord,\" \"who did no sin, neither was guile found in His\nmouth\" (Isa. liii.). But soon the memory of the scenes he had\nwitnessed is present with him; and his words, though holding to the\nspirit of Isaiah's picture, become a description of what he himself\nhad seen and heard when Jesus was taken and crucified: _Who, when He\nwas reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, threatened not, but\ncommitted Himself to Him that judgeth righteously_. How the brief\nwords sum up and recall the dark history--Caiaphas, Pilate, and Herod;\nthe mockery, the scourging, the railing crowd, the dying Jesus, and\nthe parting prayer, \"Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit.\"\n\nSo far the Apostle speaks of the example of Christ, which, though far\nabove and beyond us, we are exhorted and called on to follow. And\nthere are many who will go with him thus far who value our Lord's work\nonly for its lofty example. Indeed, it is characteristic of those who\ndeny the mediatorial office of Christ to be loudest in magnifying the\ngrandeur of His character. To His good works, His love for men, His\nspotless life, His noble lessons, they accord untiring praise, as\nthough thereby they would atone for denying Him that office which is\nmore glorious still. But St. Peter stops at no such half-way house. He\nknows in whom he has believed, knows Him for the Son of the living\nGod, a Teacher with whom were the words of eternal life. So in\npregnant words he sets forth the doctrine of the Atonement as the end\nof Christ's suffering: _Who His own self bare our sins in His own body\nupon the tree, that we, having died unto sins, might live unto\nrighteousness_. He bare our sins. The words tell of something beyond\nour powers to comprehend; but some light is shed on them by a kindred\npassage (Matt. viii. 17), where the Evangelist applies to the work of\nJesus those other words from Isa. liii., \"Himself took our infirmities\nand bare our sicknesses.\" The narrative in the Gospel has just\nrecorded how Jesus wrought many miracles. First a leper was healed,\nthen the centurion's servant, next Simon's wife's mother, and\nafterwards many sick and demoniacs beside. There is no record here of\nthe effect produced on Jesus Himself by these exhibitions of\nmiraculous power, but from other passages in the Gospels we do find\nthat He was conscious in Himself of a demand on His power when such\ncures were wrought. Thus we are told, at the cure of the woman with\nthe issue, that Jesus perceived in Himself that the power proceeding\nfrom Him had gone forth (Mark v. 30); and again when many were cured,\nthat \"power came forth from Him and healed them all\" (Luke vi. 19). Of\nthe woman Jesus says expressly, \"Thy faith hath made thee whole\"; and\nthe manifestation of eagerness to touch Jesus is a sign of the faith\nof the others whom the Divine power blessed with health.\n\nThe Bible recognises everywhere the analogy between sin and sickness.\nMay we not trace some analogy between the Lord's works of healing and\nthat mightier deliverance from sin won by Christ upon the cross, an\nanalogy which may help, if but a little, to give meaning to the\nbearing by Christ of human sins? A power went forth when the sick were\nhealed; and through that imparted power they were restored to health,\nfaith being the pathway which brought the Divine virtue to their aid.\nThus Jesus bore their diseases and took them away. Look through this\nfigure on the work of our redemption. Christ has borne the burden of\nsin. He has died for sin that men may die from sin, that sin may be\nslain in us, the fell disease healed by the power of His suffering. We\ncannot comprehend what was done for the sick when Christ was on earth,\nnor what is wrought for sinners by His grace in heaven. Those alone\nwho reap the blessing know its certainty; and they can but say, as the\nblind man whose sight was restored, \"One thing I know: that, whereas I\nwas blind, now I see\" (John ix. 25).\n\nTo this teaching, that Christ's suffering wrought man's rescue, St.\nPeter adds emphasis by another quotation from that chapter of Isaiah\nwhich he has so much in mind: _by whose stripes ye were healed_.\nChrist was stricken, and God grants to His sufferings a power to heal\nthe souls of those whom He loves because they strive to love Him.\nHealing through wounds! Soundness through that which speaks only of\ninjury! Mysterious dispensation! But long ago it had been\nforeshadowed, and shown also how little connexion there was to be,\nexcept through faith, between the remedy and the disease. Those who\nwere bitten of the serpents in the wilderness gazed on the brazen\nserpent, and were healed. In the dead brass was no virtue, but God was\npleased to make of it a speaking sacrament; so has it pleased Him to\ngive healing of sins to those who by faith appropriate the sacrifice\non Calvary. Christ has claimed the type for Himself: \"I, if I be\nlifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Myself\" (John xii.\n32).\n\nAnd now, as is so often his wont, St. Peter varies the figure. The\nwounded sinner finding cure becomes the wandering sheep that has been\nbrought back into the fold: _For ye were going astray like sheep, but\nare now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls_. But the\nmessage, the teaching, the love, is all the same. He who before was\nthe great Exemplar, whose footsteps we should follow, is now the\nShepherd, the Good Shepherd, who goes before His sheep. This Shepherd\nhas been a Sufferer, too. He has given Himself up as a prey to the\nwolves that His flock might be saved. Now, with a voice of love, He\ncalls His sheep by name; and hearing, they follow Him.\n\nBut He is more than this. Brought within the fold, the sheep still\nneed His care; and it is freely given. He is the Bishop, the Overseer,\nthe Watchman for His people's safety, who, having gathered them within\nthe fold, tends them with constant watchfulness. The figure passes\nover thus into the reality in the Apostle's closing words. The cure\nwhich the great Healer desires to accomplish is in the souls of men.\nFor them His care is bestowed, first to bring them safe out of the way\nof evil, then for ever to keep them under the sheltering care of His\nabundant love.\n\n\n\n\nIX\n\n_CHRISTIAN WIVES AND HUSBANDS_\n\n     \"In like manner, ye wives, _be_ in subjection to your own\n     husbands; that, even if any obey not the word, they may without\n     the word be gained by the behaviour of their wives; beholding\n     your chaste behaviour _coupled_ with fear. Whose _adorning_ let\n     it not be the outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of\n     wearing jewels of gold, or of putting on apparel; but _let it be_\n     the hidden man of the heart, in the incorruptible _apparel_ of a\n     meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great\n     price. For after this manner aforetime the holy women also, who\n     hoped in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection to their\n     own husbands: as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose\n     children ye now are, if ye do well, and are not put in fear by\n     any terror.\n\n     \"Ye husbands, in like manner, dwell with _your wives_ according\n     to knowledge, giving honour unto the woman, as unto the weaker\n     vessel, as being also joint heirs of the grace of life; to the\n     end that your prayers be not hindered.\"--1 PETER iii. 1-7.\n\n\nThe Apostle gave at first (ii. 13) the rule of Christian submission\ngenerally; then proceeded to apply it to the cases of citizens and of\nservants. In the same way he now gives injunctions concerning the\nbehaviour of wives and husbands. The precept with which he began holds\ngood for them also. _In like manner, ye wives, be in subjection to\nyour own husbands._ The life and teaching of Jesus had wrought a great\nchange in the position of women, a change which can be observed from\nthe earliest days of Christianity. We can gather in what estimation\nwomen were generally held among the Jews at that time from the\nexpression used in the account of our Lord's interview with the woman\nof Samaria. There it is said (John iv. 27) that the disciples\nmarvelled that Jesus was talking with a woman. Such a feeling must\nafterwards have been entirely dispelled, for all through the earthly\nlife of Christ we find Him attended by women who ministered unto Him;\nwe read of His close friendship with Mary and Martha, and are told, at\nthe time of His death (Matt. xxvii. 55), that many women beheld the\nCrucifixion afar off, having followed Him from Galilee. Women were the\nearliest visitors to the tomb on the great Easter morning, and to\nthem, among the first (Luke xxiv. 22), was the Lord's resurrection\nmade known.\n\nWe are not surprised, therefore, in the history of the infant Church,\nto read (Acts i. 14) that women were present among the disciples who\nwaited at Jerusalem for the promise of the Father, nor to learn how\nthe daughters of Philip the evangelist (Acts xxi. 9) took a share in\nthe labours of their father for the cause of Christ, or that Priscilla\n(Acts xviii. 26), equally with her husband, was active in Christian\ngood offices. Other examples occur in the Acts of the Apostles:\nDorcas, Lydia, and the mother of Timothy; and the constant mention of\nwomen which we find in the salutations with which St. Paul concludes\nhis letters makes it clear how large a part they played in the early\npropagation of the faith. \"Fellow-workers,\" \"servants of the Church,\"\n\"labourers in the Lord,\" are among the terms which the Apostle applies\nto them; and we know from the Pastoral Epistles what help the\nprimitive Church derived from the labours of its deaconesses and\nwidows.\n\nTo be occupied in such duties was sure to give to women an influence\nwhich they had never possessed before; and the women converts, in\ncountries such as these Asiatic provinces, were exposed to the same\nsort of danger which beset the slave population at their acceptance of\nthe Christian faith. They might begin to think meanly of others, even\nof their own husbands, if they were still content to abide in\nheathenism. Such women might incline at times to take counsel for\ntheir life's guidance with Christian men among the various\ncongregations to which they belonged and to set a value on their\nadvice above any which they could obtain from their own husbands. They\nmight come to entertain doubts also whether they ought to maintain the\nrelations of married life with their heathen partners. With the\nknowledge that such cases might occur, St. Peter gives his lesson. And\nas in the case of slaves, so here, he gives no countenance to the idea\nthat to become a Christian breaks off previous relations. Wives,\nthough they have accepted the faith, have wifely duties still. Like\nChristian citizens living in a heathen commonwealth, they are not by\nreligion released from their previously contracted obligations; they\nare to abide in their estate, and use it, if it may be done, for the\nfurtherance of the cause of Christ. Be in subjection to _your own_\nhusbands; they have still their claim on your duty.\n\nThere is much gentleness in the Apostle's next words. He knows that\nthere may arise cases where believing wives have husbands who are\nheathen. But he speaks hopefully, as thinking they would not be of\nfrequent occurrence: _even if any obey not the word_. Wives,\nespecially if they be of such a character as the Apostle would have\nthem be, could not have been won to the faith of Christ without much\nconverse with their husbands on so deep a subject; and the word which\nwas working effectually in the one would often have its influence with\nthe other. It might not always be so. But husbands, though not obeying\nthe word as yet, are not to be despaired of.\n\nAnd here we may turn aside to dwell on the tone of hope in which St.\nPeter speaks of these husbands who obey not. For the word\n\u1f00\u03c0\u03b5\u03b9\u03b8\u03bf\u1fe6\u03bd\u03c4\u03b5\u03c2, by which they are described, is the same that is used\nin ii. 18 of those who stumble at the word, being disobedient. The\nlesson here given to Christian wives, not to despair of winning their\nhusbands for Christ, gives warrant for what was said on the former\npassage: that the disobedience which causes men to stumble need not\nlast for ever, nor imply final obduracy and rejection from God's\ngrace. But this by the way.\n\nThe Apostle adds the strongest motive to confirm wives in holding to\ntheir married state: _That the husbands may without the word be gained\nby the behaviour of their wives: beholding your chaste behaviour\ncoupled with fear_. \"Without the word\" here means that there is to be\nno discussion. They are so to live as to make their lives a sermon\nwithout words, to work conviction without debate; then, when the\nvictory is won, there will remain no trace of combat: all will tell of\ngain, and nothing of loss.\n\nAnd once again St. Peter uses his special word (\u1f10\u03c0\u03bf\u03c0\u03c4\u03ad\u03c5\u03b5\u03b9\u03bd)\nas he describes how the husbands shall be affected by the behaviour of\ntheir wives. They shall gaze on it as a mystery, the key to which they\ndo not possess. The wives in heathen homes must have been obliged to\nhear and see many things which were grievous and distasteful. The\nhusbands could hardly fail to know that it was so. If, then, they\nstill found wifely regard and respect, wifely submission, with no\nassertion of a law of their own, no comparison of the lives of\nChristian men with those of their own husbands, if a silent,\nconsistent walk were all the protest which the Christian wives offered\nagainst their heathen environments, such a life could hardly fail of\nits effect. There must be a powerful motive, a mighty, strengthening\npower, that enabled women to abide uncomplainingly in their estate.\nFor this the husbands would surely search, and in their search would\nlearn secrets to which they were strangers, would learn how the tongue\nwas restrained where remonstrance might seem more natural, how pure\nlife was maintained in spite of temptations to laxity, and the\nmarriage bond exalted with religious observance even when reverence\nfor the husband was meeting with no equal return. Such lives would be\nmore powerful than oratory, have a charm beyond resistance, would win\nthe husbands first to wonder, then to praise, and in the end to\nimitation.\n\nAnd from describing the grace of such a life the Apostle turns to\ncontrast it with other adornments of which the world thinks highly.\n_Whose adorning_, he says, _let it not be the outward adorning of\nplaiting the hair, and of wearing jewels of gold, and of putting on\napparel_. We can see from the catalogue in Isaiah (iii. 18-23) that\nthe daughters of Zion in old days had gone to great lengths in this\noutside bravery, and provoked the Lord to smite them. These had\nforgotten the simplicity of Sarah. But that in the house of Abraham\nthere were found no such ornaments is hardly to be believed. The\npatriarch, who sent (Gen. xxiv. 53) to Rebekah jewels of silver and\njewels of gold, did not leave his own wife unadorned. Nor does the\nlanguage of St. Peter condemn Rebekah's bracelets, if they be worn\nwith Rebekah's modesty. The New Testament does not teach us to neglect\nor despise the body. A misrendering in the Authorised Version, \"Who\nshall change our vile body\" (Phil. iii. 21), has long seemed to lend\ncountenance to such a notion. It is one of the gains of the Revised\nVersion that we now read in that place, \"Who shall fashion anew the\nbody of our humiliation.\" Sin has robbed the body of its primal\ndignity, but it is to be restored and made like unto the body of\nChrist's glory. And He did not despise the body when He deigned to\nwear it that He might draw nearer unto us. If these things be present\nto our thoughts, we shall seek to bestow on the body whatever may make\nit comely. The mischief arises when the adornment of the outer brings\nneglect of the inner man, when fine apparel has for its companions the\nhaughtiness, the stretched-forth necks, and wanton eyes which Isaiah\nrebukes. Then it is that it rightly comes under condemnation. When the\njewel is (as Rebekah's was) the gift of some dear one--a parent, a\nhusband, a near kinsman--it rouses grateful reminiscences, and may\nfitly be prized, and holily worn, and ranked near to the rings of\nbetrothal and of marriage.\n\nLet these be the feelings which regulate womanly adornment, and it may\nbe made a part of the culture of the heart, the inner man, which St.\nPeter urges the Christian wives to be careful to adorn: Let your\nadorning _be the hidden man of the heart, in the incorruptible apparel\nof a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great\nprice_. All Scripture regards man as of twofold nature, the outward\nand the inward, of which the latter is the more precious. He is a Jew\nwho is one inwardly (Rom. ii. 29); the inward man delighteth in the\nlaw of God (Rom. vii. 22); while the outward man perishes the inward\nman may be renewed day by day (2 Cor. iv. 16), being strengthened with\npower through God's Spirit. This hidden man is the centre from which\nall the strength of Christian life comes. Let this be rightly adorned,\nand the outward life will need no strict rules; there will be no fear\nof excess, least of all when the inner life is cared for because it is\nprecious before God. Its pure array passeth gold and gems, be they\never so beautiful. This is a grace which never fades, but will\nflourish through eternity.\n\nThe Apostle proceeds to commend it by a noble example. The Old\nTestament Scriptures do not dwell largely on the lives of women, but a\nstudy of what is said will oftentimes reveal deeper meaning in the\nrecord and put force into a solitary word. The writer of the Epistle\nto the Hebrews couples Sarah with Abraham in the list of heroes and\nheroines of faith, and St. Peter from a single word finds a text to\nextol the submission which she showed to her husband. He probably\nrefers to Gen. xviii. 12, where she gives the title of \"lord\" to\nAbraham, as Rachel in another place (Gen. xxxi. 35) does to her father\nLaban: _For after this manner aforetime the holy women also, who hoped\nin God, adorned themselves, being in subjection to their own husbands:\nas Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord_. A Scripture example which\nhas more in common with the experience of the Asian women is the life\nof Hannah. Her lot, for a time at least, was as full of grief and\ndisappointment as theirs could be; but her trust in God was unshaken.\nHer patience under provocation was exemplary, while the picture of her\nhome life is one full of touching affection on the part of both\nhusband and wife; and the mother's gratitude, when her prayer was\ngranted, is set forth in her noble hymn of thanksgiving and in the\ndevotion of her child to the service of the God who had bestowed him.\nRuth is another of those holy women who must have been in St. Peter's\nthoughts, who, though not of the house of Israel, manifested virtues\nin her life which made her fit to be the ancestress of King David. The\nApostle, however, seems to have had a purpose in his special mention\nof Sarah. As the sons of Israel looked back to Abraham and to the\ncovenant sealed with him, yea, not seldom prided themselves on being\nhis children, so the daughters of Israel counted themselves as Sarah's\ndaughters after the flesh. St. Peter now gives them another ground for\nthat claim. God's promises to Abraham have been fulfilled in Christ,\nand so Christian Jewesses are more truly than ever daughters of Sarah.\n_Whose children ye now are._ But to the heathen converts the same door\nwas opened. They by their faith were now made partakers of the ancient\ncovenant. They too were become Sarah's daughters. Let them, one and\nall, continue in the well-doing which has been commended; let it be\nseen in the daily round (\u1f00\u03bd\u03b1\u03c3\u03c4\u03c1\u03bf\u03c6\u1f74) of their lives, led in\nquietness and humility. The excessive love of adornment against which\nthey are warned marks a condition of boldness and unrest. But unrest\nmay enter into the other actions of their life. Their behaviour is to\nbe coupled with fear and reverence, but it should eschew everything\nwhich partakes of flighty irregularity. It should be steady and\nconsistent, running into no extremes either of humiliation or the\ncontrary. _Do well, and be not put in fear by any terror._\n\nThe Apostle now addresses Christian husbands. In his counsel to\nsubjects and slaves he has not dwelt on the duties of rulers and\nmasters. Perhaps he judged it unlikely that his letter would come to\nthe hands of many such, or it may be he thought the lessons which he\nhad to give were more needed by the subject people, if Christ's cause\nwere to be furthered. But with husbands and wives life has of\nnecessity a great deal in common, and the one partner can hardly\nreceive counsel which is not of interest to the other. To the wives\nthe Apostle spake as though examples of unbelieving husbands might be\nrare. Christian husbands with unbelieving wives he hardly seems to\ncontemplate. We know from St. Paul (1 Cor. vii. 16) that there were\nsuch. But doubtless heathen wives hearkened to Christian husbands more\nreadily than heathen husbands to their Christian wives. The husbands\nare to use their position as heads of their wives with judgement and\ndiscretion: _Dwell with your wives according to knowledge_. The\nknowledge of which St. Peter speaks is not religious, godly, Christian\nknowledge, but that foresight and thoughtfulness which the\nresponsibility of the husband calls for. He will understand what\nthings for his wife's sake he should do or leave undone. This\nknowledge, which results in considerate conduct towards her, will\nmanifest itself in Christian chivalry. The woman is physically the\nfeebler of the two. No burden beyond her powers will be laid upon her;\nand by reason of her weaker nature regard and honour will be felt to\nbe her due. For the woman is the glory of the man (1 Cor. xi. 7). Such\nobservance will not degenerate into undue adulation nor foolish\nfondness, apt to foster pride and conceit, but will be inspired by the\nsense that in God's creation neither is the man without the woman,\nnor the woman without the man.\n\nBut beyond and above these daily graces of domestic and social\nintercourse, the Apostle would have husband and wife knit together by\na higher bond. They are _joint heirs of the grace of life_. Both are\nmeant to be partakers of the heavenly inheritance, and such\nparticipation makes their chief duty here to be preparation for the\nlife to come. Those who are bound together not by wedlock only, but by\nthe hope of a common salvation, will find a motive in that thought to\nhelp each other in life's pilgrimage, each to shun all that might\ncause the other to stumble: _That your prayers be not hindered_. They\nare fellow-travellers with the same needs. Together they can bring\ntheir requests before God, and where the two join in heart and soul\nChrist has promised to be present as the Third. And in praying they\nwill know one another's necessities. This is the grandest knowledge\nthe husband can attain to for the honouring of his wife; and using it,\nhe will speed their united supplications to the throne of grace, and\nthe union of hearts will not fail of its blessing.\n\n\n\n\nX\n\n_THEY WHO BLESS ARE BLESSED_\n\n     \"Finally, _be_ ye all like-minded, compassionate, loving as\n     brethren, tender-hearted, humble-minded: not rendering evil for\n     evil, or reviling for reviling; but contrariwise blessing; for\n     hereunto were ye called, that ye should inherit a blessing. For\n     he that would love life, and see good days, let him refrain his\n     tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: and let\n     him turn away from evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and\n     pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and\n     His ears unto their supplication: but the face of the Lord is\n     upon them that do evil. And who is he that will harm you, if ye\n     be zealous of that which is good? But and if ye should suffer for\n     righteousness' sake, blessed _are ye_: and fear not their fear,\n     neither be troubled; but sanctify in your hearts Christ as Lord:\n     _being_ ready always to give answer to every man that asketh you\n     a reason concerning the hope that is in you, yet with meekness\n     and fear: having a good conscience; that, wherein ye are spoken\n     against, they may be put to shame who revile your good manner of\n     life in Christ.\"--1 Peter iii. 8-16.\n\n\nThe Apostle now ceases from his special admonitions, and enforces\ngenerally such qualities and conduct as must mark all who fear the\nLord. _Finally_, he says--and the word may indicate the close of his\ncounsels; but the virtues which he inculcates are of so important a\ncharacter that he may very well intend them as the apex and crown of\nall his previous advice--_be ye all like-minded, compassionate, loving\nas brethren, tender-hearted, humble-minded_. St. Peter has here\ngrouped together a number of epithets of which all but one are only\nused in the New Testament by himself, and they are of that graphic\ncharacter which is so conspicuous in all the Apostle's language.\n_Like-minded._ If the word be not there, the spirit is largely\nexemplified in the early history of the Church. How often we hear the\nphrase \"with one accord\" in the opening chapters of the Acts. Thus the\ndisciples continued in prayer (i. 14); thus they went daily to the\nTemple (ii. 46); thus they lifted up their voices to God (iv. 24), for\nall they that believed were of one heart and one soul (iv. 32). Such\nlives exhibit harmony of thought, the same aim and purpose. The men\nmay not, will not, always use the same means or follow the same\nmethods, but they will all be seeking one result. Such unity is worth\nmore than uniformity. _Compassionate._ This feeling St. Paul describes\n(Rom. xii. 15) as rejoicing with them that do rejoice and weeping with\nthem that weep. For the \u03c0\u03b1\u03b8\u03ae\u03bc\u03b1\u03c4\u03b1 of this life are not\nalways sorrowful, though the best of them are not worthy to be\ncompared with the glory that shall be revealed (Rom. viii. 18)._Loving\nas brethren._ The sense of the brotherhood of Christians is strongly\nmarked in all the New Testament Scriptures. It is the name by which\nour Lord claims fellowship with men, being not ashamed to call them\nbrethren. It is the designation of the Christian body from the first\n(Matt. xxiii. 8), is constantly found in the Acts and the Epistles\n(Acts vi. 3, ix. 30, xi. 29), and has been used of the Church in every\nage, marking how as one family we dwell in Him. Next comes the word\nwhich is not St. Peter's alone: _Tender-hearted_. St. Paul has it\n(Eph. iv. 32), but it is no Greek notion. It was a Jewish idea that\ndeep feeling was closely connected with some of the organs of the\nbody; and in the Old Testament, as in the story of Joseph (Gen.\nxliii. 30) and elsewhere (1 Kings iii. 26), we come upon such phrases\nas \"His bowels did yearn upon his brother.\" This Hebrew notion the\nLXX. has conveyed into Greek by the word which St. Peter here uses,\nand which those translators had used and consecrated long before. For\nthem so exalted was the thought contained in it that they employ it in\nthe prayer of Manasses (ver. 7) to express the tenderness of God\ntowards the penitent, the yearning love of the Father, who sees the\nprodigal afar off, and has compassion. _Humble-minded._ This word and\nthose akin to it are almost a New Testament creation. The heathen had\nno admiration for the temper it expresses, and where they do use the\nword it is in a bad sense as signifying \"cowardly\" and \"mean-spirited.\"\nBefore Christ none had taught, \"He that is greatest among you shall be\nyour servant\" (Matt. xxiii. 11).\n\nIt is manifest that if such harmony, kind feeling, attachment,\naffection, and humility flourished among believers, these virtues\nwould put discord to the rout, and leave no occasion for rending the\noneness of the Christian body. They would also be proof against evil\nfrom without, both in deed and speech, neither tempted to _render evil\nfor evil_ in their actions nor _reviling for reviling_ in their words.\nThey have a duty to the world, and cannot thus belie their Christian\nprofession. They are called to adorn the doctrine of their Saviour,\nand the Master's sermon has among its prominent precepts \"Bless them\nthat curse you.\" This is the spirit of St. Peter's exhortation, _But\ncontrariwise blessing_; that is, Be ye of those who bless. For there\nis a law of recompense with God in good things as in evil; the\nblessers shall be blessed: _For hereunto were ye called, that ye\nshould inherit a blessing_. It is as though he urged them thus: Ye\nwere aforetime enemies of God; but ye have been made partakers of His\nheavenly calling (Heb. iii. 1), that ye may come to blessing. This\nshould move you to bless your enemies. And more than this, the servant\nof God may receive no blessing from the world, may get curses for his\nblessing; but yet he knows where to flee for consolation. He can pray\nwith the Psalmist, \"Let them curse, but bless Thou\" (Psalm cix. 28),\nconscious that the Lord will stand at the right hand of the needy.\n\nThe psalmists knew much of such trials, and it is from the words of\none of them (Psalm xxxiv. 12-16) that St. Peter enforces his own\nlesson. It is a psalm full of the knowledge of the trials of God's\nservants: \"Many are the afflictions of the righteous\"; but it is rich\nalso in plenitude of comfort: \"The Lord delivereth him out of them\nall.\" The father of long ago teaches thus to his children the fear of\nthe Lord: _He that would love life, and see good days, let him refrain\nhis tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: and let\nhim turn away from evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and pursue\nit_. _For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears\nunto their supplication: but the face of the Lord is upon them that do\nevil._ A glance at the Psalm will show that the Apostle has not quoted\nprecisely; and though he has much in common with the Greek of the\nLXX., he does not adhere closely to that. But he gives to the full the\nspirit both of the Hebrew and the Greek. The life of which the\nPsalmist speaks is life in this world. The original explains this by\nmaking the latter clause of the verse, \"and loveth _many_ days, that\nhe may see good.\" And the love is to be a noble feeling, a desire to\nmake his worth living. Such a life must exhibit watchfulness over\nwords and actions. The precepts begin at the beginning, with control\nof the tongue. Control that, and you are master of the rest. \"It is a\nlittle member, but boasteth great things.\" \"The world of iniquity\namong our members is the tongue, which defileth the whole body\" (James\niii. 5, 6). It needs to be kept as with a bridle, and not only when\nthe ungodly are in sight, but constantly. But the words of the Psalm\ncontemplate a further danger. Men may give good words with the lips\nwhile the heart is full of bitterness. Then the lips are lying, and\nthis is an evil as great as the former, and more perilous to him who\ncommits it, because the sin does not come to the light that it may be\nreproved, but contrives to wear the mask of virtue.\n\nAnd the actions need watchfulness also. They must not only possess the\nnegative quality of abstinence from evil, but the positive stamp of\ngood deeds done. \"By their fruits ye shall know them.\" And the work\nwill be no light one. Peace is to be sought, and the Apostle uses a\nword which implies that a chase is needful to obtain it. St. Paul has\na passage very much in the spirit of St. Peter's teaching here, and\nthe words of which picture distinctly the difficulties which the\nChristian will have to labour against: \"Giving diligence to keep the\nunity of the Spirit in the bond of peace\" (Eph. iv. 3). This tells us\nwhy our Apostle urges the pursuit of peace. It is the clasp which\nbinds the Christian communion together. From all sorts of causes men\nare prone to fall apart, to break the oneness; and peace is able to\nhold them fast. Hence the diligence in seeking it, the earnestness of\nthe pursuit that it may not elude us.\n\nBut when all is done, when men have not been sitting with folded hands\nwaiting and dreaming that peace would come without pursuit, but have\nlaboured for it, they do not always attain to it. \"I am for peace,\"\nsays the Psalmist, \"but when I speak, they are for war\" (Psalm cxx.\n7). And so the disappointed struggler is directed to the sure source\nof consolation amid discomfiture. The Lord marks his efforts, knows\ntheir earnest purpose in spite of their ill-success. He beholds also\nthose who have withstood them, but with far other regard. St. Peter\nhas not quoted what the Psalmist says of their fate: \"God will root\nout the remembrance of them from the earth.\" God's righteous pilgrim\nis not forgotten. His prayer is heard, and will be answered for good.\nNo shadow has come between him and God, though his lot seem very dark.\nNeither can the wrong-doer raise a shadow to screen himself from the\nall-seeing eyes. All things are naked and open before the eyes of Him\nwith whom we have to do.\n\nThus far St. Peter has used the language of the Psalmist, and among\nthe converts the Jews would be sure to supply from the context those\nother words, \"O fear the Lord, all ye His saints; for they that fear\nHim lack nothing.\" The Apostle clothes that same thought in his own\nwords: _And who is he that will harm you, if ye be zealous of that\nwhich is good?_ He has repeatedly dwelt on the power of goodness to\nwin unbelievers to its side (ii. 12, 15; iii. 1), and the same idea\nshapes his words now. In those days the Zealots were well known, and\ntheir unbounded enthusiasm for their evil cause. Josephus lays the\ndestruction of Jerusalem at their door. The Apostle would have\nChrist's disciples \"zealots\" for Him. Let there be nothing\nhalf-hearted in their service, and its power will be irresistible. It\nwill avail either to silence and confound the adversaries, or to\nstrengthen the faithful so that the smell of the furnace of\npersecution shall not pass upon them. They shall be enabled to break\nthe chains with which their foes would bind them as easily as Samson\nhis green withes. _But and if ye should suffer for righteousness'\nsake, blessed are ye._ If ye endure chastening, God is dealing with\nyou as with sons. He has called Himself your Father; Christ has\nclaimed you for brethren. He, the righteous, suffered; shall we not\nreckon it for a blessing to be worthy to bear the cross? Only let us\nbe of good courage. He that endureth to the end shall find salvation.\n_And fear not their fear, neither be troubled._ Again St. Peter\napplies the promises of the ancient Scriptures. In the days of Isaiah\nall Judah was in terror, king and people alike, before the gathering\narmies of Syria and Israel. In their dread comes the prophetic\nmessage, and says to the confederates, \"Gird yourselves, and ye shall\nbe broken in pieces,\" and to the tiny power of Judah, \"Let the Lord of\nhosts be your fear, and let Him be your dread, and He shall be for a\nsanctuary\" (Isa. viii. 12, 13). The condition of these Asian converts\nwas one of heaviness through manifold temptations. While the believer\nlives here he always has his assailants, and in those early days the\nrulers of the earth were not seldom among the adversaries of the\nChristians. Hence the Apostle's exhortation is most apposite: Fear not\ntheir fear--the things which they would dread, and with which they\nwill threaten you. For what are they? They may take away your\nproperty. Be not troubled; you would soon have had to leave it. The\nloss a few years sooner is no terrible affliction. They may drive you\nfrom one land to another. To strangers and sojourners what can that\nsignify? If they cast you into prison, the Lord who shut the lions'\nmouths for Daniel is your Lord also; and I, Peter, know how\nangel-hands have removed chains and opened prison doors. And should\nthey scourge and torture you, do you shrink from thus being made like\nunto your Master? _Sanctify in your hearts Christ as Lord._\n\nIsaiah's message to disheartened Judah was, \"The Lord of hosts, Him\nshall ye sanctify.\" On His word shall ye rely, assured that He, the\nholy God, will fail neither in wisdom nor power. To think otherwise is\nnot to sanctify Him. The Lord knoweth how to deliver out of\ntemptation. St. Peter, who knew Christ as the Son of the living God,\napplies to the Son the words first spoken of the Father. The Son is\none with the Father. Hence he bids the afflicted converts, suffering\nfor righteousness' sake, not to be afraid of the world's terror, but\nto sanctify Christ in their hearts as Lord. He is the Emmanuel, whom\nIsaiah was sent to promise. God has dwelt among men, and will be the\nGod and the Deliverer of all His faithful ones. This sense of \"God\nwith us\" they know, and with the knowledge comes a power not their\nown, and they fear no more the fear of their adversaries.\n\nIt is against foes of another sort that the Christian has now to hold\nfast his faith, and sanctify Christ as his Lord. There are those who\ndeny Him all that is supernatural, all that speaks of the Divine in\nHis history; who treat the resurrection and ascension of the Lord as\ngroundless legends, due to the ignorance of His followers; and who\nleave to the Jesus of the Gospels only the qualities of a better\nfellow-man. These are the enemies of the cross of Christ.\n\nAnd of such dangerous teaching it would seem as if St. Peter had been\nthinking in the words that follow: _Being ready always to give answer\nto every man that asketh you a reason concerning the hope that is in\nyou._ The believer rests on Christ in faith. But though in his belief\nthere must be much which he cannot fathom, yet it is a belief for men.\nHis service is a reasonable service; he can point to abundance of\nevidence as ground for his faith; he believes because he has\nexperienced the power of the Spirit, and fears not to trust the Christ\nwhom he has sanctified in his heart as Lord; he knows in whom he has\nbelieved. But beside this, he can study the Old Testament; and there\nhe learns how the coming incarnation dominates every portion of the\nvolume, how from the first redemption through the seed of the woman\nwas made known; and he follows the revelation step by step till in the\nevangel of Isaiah he has predictions almost as vivid and plain as the\nnarrative of the Gospels. Those four narratives are another warrant\nfor his faith, their wondrous agreement amid multitudinous\ndivergences, divergences so marked that none could have ventured to\nput them forth as history except while the knowledge of those who had\nseen the Lord and been witnesses of His actions was available to vouch\nfor and stamp as true these varicoloured pictures of the life of\nJesus. He has further vouchers in the lives and letters of those who\nknew and followed the Lord, followed Him, most of them, on the road\nthat led through persecution unto death. And beside all this, there\nstands and grows the Church built upon this history, strong with the\npower of this faith and in her holy worship sanctifying Christ as her\nLord. These are things to which the Christian appeals. They are not\nthe only reasons for belief, but they are those of which he can make\nother men cognisant, and to which the world cannot continue always\nblind; and they have a force against which the gates of hell have not\nyet been, nor ever will be able, to prevail.\n\nThese reasons he gives _with meekness and fear_--with meekness,\nbecause in that spirit all the victories of the Lord are to be won;\nwith fear, lest by feeble advocacy the cause of Christ may suffer. And\nhe does not bring words alone with him to the struggle, but the power\nof a godly life; he is prepared for the conflict by the possession of\na _good conscience_ before God and men; he bears in mind the prophetic\nexhortation, \"Be ye clean, ye that bear the vessels of the Lord\" (Isa.\nlii. 11). That injunction was given to those who were in their day\nstrangers and pilgrims. But with the good conscience, pureness of\nheart in the service of the Lord, there need be no haste, no flight.\nThe Lord will go before them; the God of Israel will be their\nrearward. And the good conscience has lost none of its efficacy:\n_Wherein ye are spoken against, they may be put to shame who revile\nyour good manner of life in Christ_. Of the Christian's faith and hope\nhis revilers know nothing, but his good life and his reasons for it\nmen can see and hear. And these shall gain the victory. But they must\ngo hand in hand. The deeds must bear out the words. When he testifies\nthat his hope is placed where neither persecutions nor revilings avail\nagainst it, his life must show him fearless of what the world can do.\nHis position toward it must be that which St. Peter himself took:\n\"Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than\nunto God, judge ye\" (Acts iv. 19). Men may marvel at what they see in\nhim, but they will take knowledge that he has been with Jesus. He is\ncreated, new-created, in Christ Jesus unto good works (Eph. ii. 10).\nHis revilers use him despitefully; but, according to Christ's lesson,\nhe prays for them, and their shafts glance pointless off. Well does\nSt. Paul close his catalogue of the Christian armour \"with all prayer\nand supplication praying at all seasons in the Spirit\" (Eph. vi. 18).\nThus does the believer wield his weapons effectually. His revilers\nhave no reason for their words; he is careful that they shall have\nnone. As with Peter and John the council could say nothing against\ntheir good deed and let them go, finding nothing how they might punish\nthem, so shall it be with others of the faithful; and, for very shame\nat the futility of their accusations and assaults, the revilers shall\nbe put to silence.\n\n\n\n\nXI\n\n_THE REWARDS OF SUFFERING FOR WELL-DOING_\n\n     \"For it is better, if the will of God should so will, that ye\n     suffer for well-doing than for evil-doing. Because Christ also\n     suffered for sins once, the righteous for the unrighteous, that\n     He might bring us to God; being put to death in the flesh, but\n     quickened in the spirit; in which also He went and preached unto\n     the spirits in prison, which aforetime were disobedient, when the\n     long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark\n     was a-preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls, were saved\n     through water: which also after a true likeness doth now save\n     you, _even_ baptism, not the putting away of the filth of the\n     flesh, but the interrogation of a good conscience toward God,\n     through the resurrection of Jesus Christ; who is on the right\n     hand of God, having gone unto heaven; angels and authorities and\n     powers being made subject unto Him.\"--1 PETER iii. 17-22.\n\n\nThe Apostle comes back to his solemn subject. Why are the righteous\ncalled to suffering? The question was perplexing these Asian\nChristians when St. Peter wrote. Previous ages had pondered over it,\nJob and his friends among the number; and men ponder over it still.\nSt. Peter has suggested several answers: The faith of Christ's\nservants after trial will be found praiseworthy at the appearance of\ntheir Lord; to bear wrong with patience is acceptable with God; it is\na happy lot, Christ has said, to suffer in the cause of righteousness.\nHis next response to the question is more solemn than these: Suffering\nis sent to the righteous by the will of God. It never comes\notherwise, and is meant to serve two several purposes: it is intended\nto benefit the unrighteous, and to be a blessing and glory to the\nrighteous who endure it.\n\nHe shows that this is God's will by two examples. Christ, the sinless,\nsuffered at the hands of sinful men, and for their sakes, as well as\nfor all sinners; and though we only can approach the subject with deep\nreverence and use the language of Scripture rather than our own about\nthe effect of suffering on Christ Himself, we are taught therein that\nHe was made perfect as the Leader of salvation by the things which He\nsuffered: and the Apostle here describes the sequel of those\nsufferings by the session on the right hand of God in heaven, where\nangels and authorities and powers are made subject unto Him.\n\nBut God's ordinance in respect of the suffering of the godly has been\nthe same from of old. In the ancient world Noah had found grace in\nGod's sight in the midst of a graceless world. He was made a witness\nand a preacher of righteousness; and the faithful building of the ark\nat God's command was a constant testimony to the wrong-doers, whose\nsole response was mockery and a continuance in the corruption of their\nway. But God had not left them without witness; and when the Deluge\ncame at length, some hearts may have gone forth to God in penitence,\nthough too late to be saved from the destruction. To Noah and those\nwith him safety was assured; and when the door of the ark was opened,\nand the small band of the rescued came forth, it was to have the\nwelcome of God's blessing and to be pointed to a token of His\neverlasting covenant. In this wise St. Peter adds once more to the\nconsolations of those who endure grief and suffering wrongfully, and\nthus does he set forth the general drift of his argument. But the\nwhole passage is so replete with helpful lessons that it merits the\nfullest consideration.\n\n_For it is better, if the will of God should so will, that ye suffer\nfor well-doing than for evil-doing._ For evil-doing suffering is\ncertain to come. It cannot be escaped. God has linked the two together\nby an unalterable law. Such suffering is penal. But when the righteous\nare afflicted their lot is not of law, but of God's merciful\nappointment and selection, and is ordained with a purpose of blessing\nboth to themselves and others. The words of St. Peter are very\nemphatic concerning God's ordinance: _If the will of God so will_. It\nis not always clear to men. Therefore St. Paul (Eph. i. 9) speaks of\nthe mystery of the Divine will, but in the same place (i. 5) of the\ngood pleasure thereof. It is exercised with love, and not with anger.\nIt was the feeling[10] with which God looked forth upon the\nnew-created world, and, behold, it was very good (Rev. iv. 11). With\nthe same feeling He longs to behold it rescued and restored. Such is\nthe desire, such the aim, with which God permits trial and distress to\nfall upon the righteous. And that the sufferers may be kept in mind of\nGod's remedial purpose herein, the Apostle adduces the example of\nChrist Himself: _Because Christ also suffered for sins once, the\nrighteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God_. The\nsuffering Christ should give pause to all questionings about the\nsufferings of His servants. Their lot may be hard to explain. But be\ntheir lives ever so pure, their purposes ever so lofty, \"in many\nthings we offend all,\" and need not murmur if we be chastened. But as\nwe think of the sinless Jesus and His unequalled sufferings, we learn\nthe applicability of the prophet's lamentation, \"See if there be any\nsorrow like unto my sorrow\" (Lam. i. 12). The burden of the\nunrighteous world was laid upon the righteous Son of God, and this\nbecause of God's love for sinners. Herein was the love of God\nmanifested in us. Sinful men were the material chosen for the display\nof the Divine love, and God sent His only-begotten Son into the world\nthat we might live through Him. It was of God's ordinance and the\nSon's obedience that redemption was thus purchased. That we might\nlive, the sinless Christ must die, and ere He died must be put to\ngrief by the opposition of those whom He came to save; must lament and\nbe hindered in His works of mercy by the want of faith among His own\nkindred, by the persistent sins of those cities in which His mightiest\nworks were wrought; must shed tears of anguish over the city of David,\nwhich would know nothing of the things which belonged unto her peace.\nThis was the chastisement of the innocent to gain peace for the\nguilty, that God might thus commend His love to men, and Christ might\nbring them back to the Father. And this bringing back is not the mere\naction of a guide. This He is, but He is far more: He helps those who\nare coming at every step, and as they draw near they find through Him\nthat the Father's house and the Father's welcome are waiting for their\nreturn. Shall men complain, nay shall they not be lost in praise, if\nGod will at all consent to use their trials to extend His kingdom and\nHis glory, and thus make them partakers of the sufferings of Christ?\nSuch a lot had been welcome to St. Peter: \"They departed from the\npresence of the council rejoicing that they were counted worthy to\nsuffer dishonour for the name\" (Acts v. 41); and here in his epistle\nhe publishes the joy of such shame, publishes it that others through\nall ages may suffer gladly, trusting their God to use the pains He\nsends to magnify His glory. The lesson is for all men at all times.\nChrist suffered for sins once; but once here means once for all, and\nproclaims to each generation of sinners that Jesus bore His cross for\nthem.\n\n  [10] The LXX. translators use the word \u03b8\u03ad\u03bb\u03c9 very frequently\n  to translate such expressions as \"to delight in,\" \"to have pleasure\n  in.\" Cf. Deut. xxi. 14; 1 Sam. xviii. 22; 1 Kings x. 9.\n\n_Being put to death in the flesh, but quickened in the spirit._ The\nsuffering of Jesus went thus far, that there might be nothing in the\ncup of human woe which He had not tasted. His spirit was parted from\nthe flesh, as when we die. The body lay in the grave; the spirit\npassed to the world of the departed. But the triumph of death was\nshort. After the three days' burial came the miracle of miracles. The\ndead Jesus returned to life, and that resurrection is made the earnest\nof a future life to all believers. Thus began the recompense of the\nrighteous Sufferer, and the power of the resurrection makes suffering\nendurable to the godly, makes them rejoice to be conformed unto\nChrist's death and forgetful of all things save the prize of the high\ncalling, which lies before them to be won. Nor was it with Christ's\nspirit during those three days as with the souls of other departed\nones. He, the sinless One, had no judgement to await; His stay there\nwas that dwelling in paradise which He foreknew and spake of to the\npenitent thief.\n\n_In which also He went and preached unto the spirits in prison, which\naforetime were disobedient, when the long-suffering of God waited in\nthe days of Noah._ At this point we come upon a twofold line of\ninterpretation, occasioned by the difficulty which constantly arises\nof deciding whether \u03c0\u03bd\u03b5\u1fe6\u03bc\u03b1--\"spirit\" is to be understood of\nthe Divine Spirit or of the spiritual part of man's nature as\ndistinguished from the flesh. Those who have taken the words\n\"quickened in the Spirit\" of the previous verse in the former of these\nsenses explain this passage of the preaching of Christ to the\nantediluvian world through His servant Noah. The Divine fiat had gone\nforth. The Flood was to come and bring destruction to the bodies of\nall but Noah and his family. But within those doomed bodies souls were\nshut up, and these the love of Christ would not willingly give over.\nThey should hear, while still in their prison of the flesh, the offer\nof His grace; and should they repent, the waves which wrought\ndestruction of the body might release them from the bondage of\ncorruption. This was the purpose of God's long-suffering, which waited\nand appealed while the ark was a-preparing. Thus did the Divine Spirit\nof Christ go forth as a herald of mercy to the impenitent, proclaiming\nthat for their souls the door of forgiveness was not yet closed.\n\nThose, on the contrary, who refer \"quickened in the spirit\" to the\nhuman soul of Christ, take this text as an additional authority for\nthe doctrine in the Apostles' Creed that our Lord's human soul after\nthe Crucifixion descended into hell. Thus, they hold, His pure spirit\nwent beyond this world to experience all that human spirits can know\nbefore the judgement comes. Thither He came but as a Herald. Death and\nthe grave had no power to detain Him. In mercy to those who had passed\naway before the Incarnation, He brought the message of the mediatorial\nwork which He had completed in His crucifixion. The sinners before the\nFlood are singled out for mention by St. Peter as sinners above all\nmen, so sunk in wickedness that but eight were found worthy to be\nsaved from the Deluge. Thus the magnitude of Christ's mercy is\nglorified. He who goes to seek these must long to save all men. And to\ncarry this message of glad tidings is part of the recompense for the\nagonies of Gethsemane and Calvary, a portion of what made it a\nblessing to suffer for well-doing.\n\nUp to the sixteenth century the latter exposition and application of\nthe words found most favour, but at the time of the Reformation the\nchief authorities[11] expounded them of the preaching of Christ's\nSpirit through the ministry of the patriarch. For the main argument\nwith which St. Peter is dealing these applications, however\ninteresting in themselves, are not deeply important. He wants to set\nbefore the converts a warrant for what he has said about the\nblessedness of suffering for righteousness. If we accept the\napplication to Noah, the example is a powerful one. His sufferings\nmust have been manifold. The long time between the threatened\njudgement and its accomplishment was filled with the opposition of\nsinners and their mockery and taunts over his patient labour on the\nark, to say nothing of the distress of soul when he found his\npreaching falling ever on deaf ears. But his trial had its reward at\nlast when the little band were shut in by God Himself, and the ark\nbore them safely on the rising waters. And if he could feel that any,\nthough perishing in body, had by repentance been saved in soul, this\nwould make light the burden even of greater suffering than had fallen\nto the patriarch, to know the joy which comes from converting a sinner\nfrom the error of his way and therein saving a soul from death.\n\n  [11] It marks the time of this change of opinion that in the first\n  form of the English Articles (the forty-two of 1553) the text 1 Peter\n  iii. 19 was given as evidence for the descent into hell in Article\n  III., but in the later form (the thirty-nine of 1563) the allusion to\n  St. Peter's words was omitted. No doubt the divines of that time\n  wished to do away with all that might be used to countenance the\n  doctrine of purgatory.\n\nAnd if we refer the words \"quickened in the spirit\" to the soul of\nChrist, parted from the body and present in the spirit-world, they are\na link to connect this passage with words of the Apostle's sermon on\nthe day of Pentecost. There he does speak of the Lord's descent into\nhell, and teaches how David of old spake thereof and of the\nResurrection \"that neither was He left in Hades, nor did His flesh see\ncorruption\" (Acts ii. 31). In this sense the quickening in the spirit\nis the beginning of Christ's victory and triumph. It is the earnest of\neternal life to all believers. And how welcome a message to those who,\nlike Abraham, had rejoiced in faith to see the day of Christ, to hear\nfrom His own lips the tidings of the victory won! Of the Herald of\nsuch a Gospel message, of Him who by His suffering delivered those who\nthrough fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage, we\nmay, with all reverence, speak as \"being made perfect by becoming the\nAuthor of eternal salvation to all them that obey Him\" (Heb. v. 9).\n\n_Wherein few, that is, eight souls, were saved._ The building of the\nark was the test of Noah's faith, the ark itself the means of his\npreservation. In the patriarch's sufferings St. Peter has found an apt\nparallel to the life of these Asian Christians: the same godless\nsurroundings; the same opposition and mockery; the same need for\nsteadfast faith. But if rightly pondered, the Old Testament lesson is\nrich in teaching. Noah becomes a preacher of righteousness, not for\nhis own generation only, but for all time. He suffered in his\nwell-doing. Nothing stings more keenly than scorn and contempt. These\nhe experienced to the full. He came as God's herald to men who had put\nGod out of all their thoughts. His message was full of terror:\n\"Behold, I do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all\nflesh wherein is the breath of life from under heaven; everything that\nis in the earth shall die\" (Gen. vi. 17). Few heeded; fewer still\nbelieved. But when the work of the messenger was over; when the ark\nwas prepared, and the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and\nthe windows of heaven were opened; when he and his were shut in by\nGod, then appeared the blessedness. And if haply there had been any in\nwhom he had beheld signs of repentance, how the thought that some\nsouls were saved, though their bodies were drowned with the rest,\nwould magnify the rejoicing of the rescued; and the overthrow of the\nungodly would proclaim how little ultimate bliss there could be in\nevil-doing. All these things would come home to the hearts of the\n\"strangers of the dispersion.\"\n\nAnd were they few in number? Fewer still were those who stood with\nNoah in the world's corruption. But God was with him; he walked with\nGod, and found grace in His eyes; and God blessed him when the Flood\nwas gone, and by the sign of the covenant, the faithful witness in\nheaven (Psalm lxxxix. 37), has placed a memorial of the happiness of\nhis well-doing before the eyes of mankind for ever. And it would\ncomfort the believers if they kept in mind the object which St. Peter\nhas so often set before them, and on which he would have them set\ntheir desire in their distress. There was hope, nay assurance, that\nthe heathen world around them would be won by their steadfast\nwell-doing to the service of the Lord. Christ did not send his\nfollowers on a hopeless quest when He said, \"Go, baptize all nations.\"\nIt was no material ark they were set to fashion; they were exalted to\nbe builders of the Church of Christ. And to put one stone upon another\nin that building was a joy worth earning by a life of sacrifice.\n\n_Saved through water._ But God appointed the same waves to be the\ndestruction of the disobedient. With no faith-built ark in which to\nride safe, the sinners perished in the mighty waters which to Noah\nwere the pathway of deliverance. A solemn thought this for those who\nhave the offer of the antitype which the Apostle turns next to\nmention! This double use which God makes of His creatures--how to some\nthey bring punishment, to others preservation--is the theme of several\nnoble chapters in the book of Wisdom (xi.-xvi.), expanding the lesson\ntaught by the pillar of a cloud, which was light to Israel, while it\nwas thick darkness to the Egyptians.\n\n_Which also after a true likeness doth now save you, even baptism._\nUnder the new covenant also water has been chosen by Christ to be the\nsymbol of His grace. His servants are baptized into the name of the\nFather, Son, and Holy Ghost. This is the door appointed for entrance\ninto the family. But the waters of the Flood would have overwhelmed\nNoah, even as the rest, had he not been within the ark, and the ark\nwould not have been made had he been lacking in faith. So in baptism\nmust no more saving office be ascribed to the water. Even the Divine\nword, \"the word of hearing, did not profit some, because they were\nnot united by faith with them that heard aright\" (Heb. iv. 2). Neither\ndoes the sign in baptism, though Divinely instituted, profit, being\nalone. The Christian, having been cleansed by the washing of water\nwith the word, is sanctified by Christ because of his faith. The\nwashing of regeneration must be joined with the renewing of the Holy\nGhost. That Spirit does not renew, but convicts of sin those who\nbelieve not on Christ (John xvi. 8). In his salvation Noah accepted\nand acted on God's warning about things not seen as yet, and so his\nbaptism became effectual. In faith, too, Israel marched through the\nRed Sea, and beheld the overthrow of their heathen pursuers. And\nbaptism mixed with faith is saving now. Those Old Testament\ndeliverances were figures only of the true, and were but for temporal\nrescue. Christ's ordinance is that to which they testified before His\ncoming, and is coupled with the promise of His presence even unto the\nend of the world.\n\nAnd that there may be no place for doubting, the Apostle subjoins a\ntwofold explanation. First he tells us what baptism is not, then what\nit is and what it bestows. It is _not the putting away of the filth of\nthe flesh_. Were this all, it would avail no more than the cardinal\nordinances (with meats and drinks and divers washings) which were\nimposed of old until a time of reformation. Through them the way into\nthe holy place was not made manifest, nor could be. True baptism is\n_the interrogation of a good conscience toward God, through the\nresurrection of Jesus Christ_. This is a spiritual purification,\nwrought through the might of Christ's resurrection. And the Apostle\ndescribes it by the effect which it produces in the religious\ncondition and attitude of him who has experienced it. The sinner who\nloves his sin dare not question his conscience. That witness would\npronounce for his condemnation. So he finds it best to lull it to\nsleep, or perhaps deaden it altogether. But to him who, being risen\nwith Christ in faith, seeks those things that are above, who strives\nto make himself spiritually purer day by day, there is no such dread.\nRather by constant questioning and self-examination he labours that\nhis conscience may be void of offence towards God and man. That man\nnot only dares, but knows it to be a most solemn duty, thus to purge\nhis conscience. So the effect of baptism is daily felt, and the\nquestioned soul thankfully bears witness to the active presence of the\nSpirit, for the bestowal of which the Sacrament was the primal pledge.\n\nOthers have rendered \u1f10\u03c0\u03b5\u03c1\u03ce\u03c4\u03b7\u03bc\u03b1 \"an appeal,\" and have joined\nit very closely with the words _toward God_. These have found in the\nApostle's explanation the recognition of that power to draw nigh unto\nGod which the purified conscience both feels, and feels the need of.\nThere are daily stumblings, the constant want of help; and through\nChrist's resurrection the way is opened, a new and living way, into\nthe holiest, and the power is granted of appealing unto God, while the\nsense of baptismal grace already bestowed gives confidence and\ncertainty that our petitions will be granted.\n\n_Who is on the right hand of God, having gone into heaven; angels and\nauthorities and powers being made subject unto Him._ Now the Apostle\nturns back to his main subject. The righteous who suffers for, and in,\nhis righteousness, may not only be a blessing to others, but may\nhimself find blessing. We dare only use the words which the Spirit\nhas supplied when we speak of Christ being perfected by what He\nendured. But the Apostle to the Hebrews has a clear teaching. He\nspeaks of Christ as being \"the effulgence of God's glory, and the very\nimage of His person\" (Heb. i. 3). Yet he tells that, \"though He was a\nSon, He learned obedience by the things which He suffered, and became\nthus the Author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him\"\n(Heb. v. 8). And he goes further, and teaches that this submission of\nChrist to suffering was in harmony with the Divine character and\naccording to God's own purpose: \"It became Him for whom are all\nthings, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto\nglory, to make the Author of their salvation perfect through\nsufferings\" (Heb. ii. 10). From all eternity Christ was perfect as the\nSon of God, but He has suffered that He may be a perfect Mediator. Why\nthis was well-pleasing unto the Father it is not ours to know, nor can\nwe by searching find. But, the sufferings ended, He is crowned with\nglory; He is exalted to the right hand of the Father; He is made Lord\nof all. This He taught His disciples ere He sent them to baptize: \"All\nauthority hath been given unto Me in heaven and on earth\" (Matt.\nxxviii. 18). Having taken hold of the seed of Abraham and consented to\nbe made lower than the angels, He has now been set \"far above all\nprincipality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that\nis named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come\"\n(Eph. i. 21). Thus does St. Paul teach even as St. Peter; and we may\nbelieve, though we fail to grasp the manner thereof, that through His\nhumiliation our blessed Lord has been exalted, not only because He\nreceives for ever the praises of the redeemed, but because He has\nwrought through His suffering that which was well-pleasing in the\nsight of the Father.\n\nThe whole clause before us is worthy of notice for another reason. It\nwas doubtless written before our Gospels were in circulation, when the\nlife and work of Jesus were only published by the oral teaching of the\nApostles and their fellows; yet in a summary form it covers the whole\nfield of the Gospel story. Those to whom this Epistle was written had\nbeen taught that Jesus was the Christ, had heard of His righteous life\namong men, of His sufferings, death, and resurrection, had been taught\nthat afterwards He was taken up into heaven. They knew also that the\nbaptism by which they had been admitted into the Christian communion\nwas His ordinance and the appointed door into the Church which He\nlived and died to build up among men. Thus, without the Gospels, we\nhave the Gospel in the Epistles, and a witness to the integrity of\nthat history of Christ's life which has come down to us in the\nnarratives of the Evangelists. And when all the contributions of the\nApostolic Epistles are put side by side, we may easily gather from\nthem that the history of Jesus which we have now is that which the\nChurch has possessed from the beginning of the Gospel.\n\n\n\n\nXII\n\n_THE LESSONS OF SUFFERING_\n\n     \"Forasmuch then as Christ suffered in the flesh, arm ye\n     yourselves also with the same mind; for he that hath suffered in\n     the flesh hath ceased from sin; that ye no longer should live the\n     rest of your time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the\n     will of God. For the time past may suffice to have wrought the\n     desire of the Gentiles, and to have walked in lasciviousness,\n     lusts, winebibbings, revellings, carousings, and abominable\n     idolatries: wherein they think it strange that ye run not with\n     _them_ into the same excess of riot, speaking evil of _you_: who\n     shall give account to Him that is ready to judge the quick and\n     the dead. For unto this end was the gospel preached even to the\n     dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh,\n     but live according to God in the spirit.\"--1 PETER iv. 1-6.\n\n\nIt is always hard to swim against the stream; and if the effort be a\nmoral one, the difficulty is not lessened. These early Christians were\nfinding it so. For them there must have existed hardships of which\nto-day we can have no experience, and form but an imperfect estimate.\nIf they lived among a Jewish population, these were sure to be\noffended at the new faith. And when we remember the zeal for\npersecution of a Saul of Tarsus, we can see that in many cases the\nbetter the Jew, the more would he feel himself bound, if possible, to\nexterminate the new doctrines. Among the heathen the lot of the\nChristians was often worse. Did the people listen a while to the\nteaching of the missionaries, yet so unstable were they that, as at\nLystra, to-day might see them stoning those whom yesterday they were\nvenerating as gods; and they could easily, by reason of their greater\nnumbers, bring the magistrates to inflict penalties even where the\nmultitude refrained from mob violence. The cry, \"These men exceedingly\ntrouble our city\" or \"These who turn the world upside down are come\namong us,\" was sure to find a ready audience; while the uproar and\nviolence which raged in a city like Ephesus, when Paul and his\ncompanions preached there, shows how many temporal interests could be\nbanded together against the Christian cause. On individual believers,\nnot of the number of the preachers, the more violent attacks might not\nfall; but to suffer in the flesh was the lot of most of them in St.\nPeter's day. Hence the strong figure he employs to describe the\npreparation they will need: _Arm ye yourselves_--make you ready, for\nyou are going forth to battle. St. Paul also, writing to Rome and\nCorinth, uses the same figure: \"Let us put on the armour of light,\"\n\"the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left.\"\n\n_Forasmuch then as Christ suffered in the flesh, arm ye yourselves\nalso with the same mind._ Though some strokes of the foe will fall on\nthe flesh, the conflict is really a spiritual one. The suffering in\nthe body is to be sustained and surmounted by an inward power; the\narmour of light and of righteousness is the equipment of the soul,\nwhich panoply the Apostle here calls the mind of Christ. Now what is\nthe mind of Christ which can avail His struggling servants? The word\nimplies intention, purpose, resolution, that on which the heart is\nset. Now the intention of Christ's life was to oppose and overcome all\nthat was evil, and to consecrate Himself to all good for the love of\nHis people. This latter He tells us in His parting prayer for his\ndisciples: \"For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves\nalso may be sanctified in truth\" (John xvii. 19), while every action\nof His life proclaims His determined enmity against sin. This brought\nHim obloquy while He lived in the world, and in the end a shameful\ndeath; but these things did not abate His hatred of sin, nor lessen\nHis love for sinners. For still into the city where He reigns there\nshall in no wise enter anything that defileth (Rev. xxi. 27), though\nto the faithful penitent \"the Spirit and the bride say, Come, and he\nthat is athirst, let him come; he that will, let him take the water of\nlife freely\" (Rev. xxii. 17).\n\nChrist bare willingly all that was laid upon Him that He might bring\nmen unto God. This is the spirit, this the purpose, the intent, with\nwhich His followers are to be actuated: to have the same strenuous\nabhorrence of sin, the same devotion in themselves to goodness, which\nshall make them inflexible, however fiercely they may be assailed. Let\nthem only make the resolve, and power shall be bestowed to strengthen\nthem. He who says, \"Arm yourselves,\" supplies the weapons when His\nservants need them. Jesus Himself found them ready when the tempter\ncame, and drew them in all their keenness and strength from the Divine\narmoury. Satan comes to others as he came to Christ, and will make\nthem flinch and waver, if he can. At times he offers attractive baits;\nat times he brings fear to his aid. But, in whatever shape he comes or\nsends his agents, let them but cling to the mind of Christ, and they\nshall, like Him, say triumphantly, \"Get thee behind me, Satan.\"\n\n_For he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin._ God\nintends it to be so, and the earnest Christian strives with all his\nmight that it may be so. To help men God sends them sufferings, and\nintends them to have a moral effect on the life. They are not penal;\nthey are the discipline of perfect love desiring that men should be\nheld back from straying. Men cannot always see the purposes of God at\nfirst, and are prone to bewail their lot. But here and there a saint\nof old has left his testimony. One of the later psalmists had\ndiscovered the blessedness of God-sent trials: \"Before I was afflicted\nI went astray; but now I observe Thy word\"; and, in thankful\nacknowledgment of the love which sent the blows, he adds, \"It is good\nfor me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn Thy statutes\"\n(Psalm cxix. 67, 71). Hezekiah had learnt the lesson, though it\nbrought him close to the gates of the grave; but he testifies,\n\"Behold, it was for my peace that I had great bitterness.... Thou hast\ncast all my sins behind Thy back\" (Isa. xxxviii. 17). God had blotted\nout the evil record, that he who had suffered in the flesh might cease\nfrom sin. It is good for us thus to recognise that God's dispensations\nare for our correction and teaching, and that without them we should\nhave been verily desolate, left to choose our own way, which would\nsurely have been evil; and though we cannot cease from sin while we\nare in the flesh, God's mercy places the ideal state before us--_He\nthat hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin_--that we may be\nstrengthened, nevermore to submit ourselves to the yoke of wickedness.\nHow shall he that is dead to sin live any longer therein? Live therein\nhe cannot. Of that old man within him he will have no resurrection,\nfor though the motions, the promptings to evil, are there, the love of\nevil is slain by the greater love of Christ.\n\n_That ye no longer should live the rest of your time in the flesh to\nthe lusts of men, but to the will of God._ Christians must live out\ntheir lives till God calls them, and for the rest of their time in the\nflesh they will be among their wonted surroundings. Just as Christian\nslaves must abide with their masters, and Christian wives continue\nwith their husbands, so each several believer must do his duty where\nGod has placed him. But because he is a believer it will be done in a\ndifferent spirit. He is daily cutting himself away from what the world\ncounts for life; he has begun to live in the Spirit, and the natural\nman is weakened day by day; he knows that what is born of the flesh is\nflesh, and bears the taint of sin: so he refuses to follow where it\nwould lead him. Men often plead for evil habits that they are natural,\nforgetting that \"natural\" thus used means human, corrupt nature. The\nbirth of the Spirit transforms this nature, and the renewed man goes\nabout his worldly life with a new motive, new purposes. He must follow\nhis lawful calling like other folks, but the sense of his pilgrimage\nmakes him to differ; he is longing to depart, and holds himself in\nconstant readiness. Worldly men live as though they were rooted here\nand would never be moved. \"Their inward thought is that their houses\nshall continue for ever, and their dwelling-places to all generations;\nthey call their lands after their own names\" (Psalm xlix. 11). To the\nservant of Christ life wears another aspect. He is content to live on,\nfor God so wills it, and has work for him to do. To continue in the\nflesh may be, as it was to St. Paul, the fruit of his labour. And he\nwelcomes this owning of his work, and will spend his powers in like\nservice. Yet, with the Apostle, he has ever \"the desire to depart and\nbe with Christ, for it is very far better\" (Phil. i. 23).\n\nAnd as he strives to fulfil God's intent by crucifying the old man and\nceasing from sin, the Christian rejoices in a growing sense of\nfreedom. To follow the lusts of men was to serve many and hard\ntaskmasters. Riches, fame, luxury, sensual indulgences, riotous\nliving, are all keen to win new slaves, and paint their lures in the\nmost attractive colours; and one appetite will make itself the ally of\nanother, lust hard by greed, so that the chains of him who takes\nservice with them are riveted many times over, and difficult, often\nimpossible, to be cast off. But the will of God is one: \"One is your\nMaster\"; \"Love the Lord your God with all your heart\"; \"And all ye are\nbrethren\"; \"Love your neighbour as yourself.\" Then shall you enter\ninto life. And the life of this promise is not that fragment of time\nwhich remains to men in the flesh, but that unending after-life where\nthe natural body shall be exchanged for a spiritual body, and death be\nswallowed up in victory.\n\n_For the time past may suffice to have wrought the desire of the\nGentiles._ The Apostle here seems to be addressing the Jews who,\nliving among the Gentiles, had, like their forefathers in Canaan,\nlearned their works. The nation was not so prone to fall away into\nheathendom after the Captivity; yet some of them in the dispersion,\nlike Samson when he went down unto the Philistines, may have been\ncaptured and blinded and made to serve. The proximity of evil is\ninfectious. To the Gentile converts St. Peter speaks elsewhere as\nhaving been slaves to their lusts in ignorance (i. 14). But whether\nJew or Gentile, when they had once tasted the joy of this purer\nservice, this law of obedience which made them truly free, they would\nbe strengthened to suffer in the flesh rather than fall back upon\ntheir former life. The time would seem enough, far more than enough,\nto have been thus defiled. All was God's; all that remained must be\ngiven to Him with strenuous devotion.\n\nSt. Peter seems to place in contrast, as he describes the two ways of\nlife, two words, one by which he denotes the service of God, by the\nother devotion to the world and its attractions. The former (\u03b8\u03ad\u03bb\u03b7\u03bc\u03b1)\nimplies a pleasure and joy; it is the will of God, that\nwhich He delights in, and which He makes to be a joy to those who\nserve Him. The other (\u03b2\u03bf\u03cd\u03bb\u03b7\u03bc\u03b1) has a sense of longing,\nunsatisfied want, a state which craves for something which it cannot\nattain. St. Paul describes it as \"led away by divers lusts, ever\nlearning\" (but in an evil school), \"never able to come to the\nknowledge of the truth, corrupted in mind, reprobate\" (2 Tim. iii. 7).\nSuch is the desire of the Gentiles. The Apostle describes it in his\nnext words: _To have walked in lasciviousness, lusts, winebibbings,\nrevellings, carousings, and abominable idolatries_. How gross\nheathendom can be our missionaries from time to time reveal to us. All\nthe corruptions which they describe were reigning in full power round\nabout these converts. When men change the glory of the incorruptible\nGod for the likeness of corruptible man or even worse, and worship and\nserve the creature, their own animal passions, rather than the\nCreator, there is no depth of degradation to which they may not sink.\nSt. Paul has painted for us some dark pictures of what such lives\ncould be (Rom. i. 24-32; Col. iii. 5-8). But though Christianity in\nour own land have forced sin to veil some of its fouler aspects, vice\nhas not changed its nature. The same passions rule in the hearts of\nthose who live to the lusts of men, and not to the will of God. The\nflesh warreth against the Spirit, even if the Spirit be not utterly\nquenched, and brings men into its slavery. For the sake of Christ,\nthen, and for love of the brethren, the faithful have need still to be\nproclaiming, _Let the time past suffice_, and by their actions to\ntestify that they are willing to suffer in the flesh, if so be they\nmay thereby be sustained in the battle against sin and may strengthen\ntheir brethren to walk in a new way.\n\n_Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them into the same\nexcess of riot, speaking evil of you._ The godless love to be a large\ncompany, that they may keep one another in heart. Hence they who have\nbeen of them, and would fain withdraw, have no easy task; and to win\nnew comrades sinners are ever most solicitous. Their invitations at\nfirst will take a friendly tone. Solomon understood them well, and\ndescribed them in warning to his son: \"Come with us,\" they say: \"let\nus lay wait for blood; let us lurk privily for the innocent without\ncause; let us swallow them up alive as Sheol, and whole as those that\ngo down into the pit. We shall find all precious substance; we shall\nfill our houses with spoil. Thou shalt cast thy lot among us; we will\nall have one purse\" (Prov. i. 11-14). This is one fashion of their\nexcess of riot, but there are many more. The Apostle's words picture\ntheir life as an overflow, a deluge. And the figure is not strange in\nHoly Writ. \"The floods of ungodly men made me afraid,\" says the\nPsalmist (Psalm xviii. 14); and St. Jude, writing about the same time\nas St. Peter and of the same evil days, calls such sinners \"wild waves\nof the sea, foaming out their own shames\" (Jude 14). \"Shames,\" he\nsays, because the floods of excess pour on in overwhelming abundance,\nand those who escape from them do so only with much suffering in the\nflesh, sent of God, to set them free from sin.\n\nAnd if there be no hope of winning recruits or alluring back those who\nhave escaped, the godless follow another course. They hate, and\npersecute, and malign. Ever since the days of Cain this has been the\npolicy of the wicked, though not all push it so far as did the first\nmurderer (1 John iii. 12). For the life of the righteous is a constant\nreproach to them. They have made their own choice, but it yields them\nno comfort; and if one means of making others as wretched as\nthemselves fails, they take another. They point the finger of hatred\nand scorn at the faithful. To the Greeks Christ's faith was\nfoolishness. The Athenians, full of this world's wisdom, asked about\nPaul, \"What will this babbler say?\" and mocked as they heard of the\nresurrection of the dead. With them and such as they this life is all.\nBut the Christian has his consolation: he has committed his cause to\nanother Judge, before whom they also who speak evil of him must\nappear.\n\n_Who shall give account to Him that is ready to judge the quick and\nthe dead._ The Christian looks on to the coming judgement. He can\ntherefore disregard the censures of men. Neither the penalties nor the\nrevilings of the world trouble him. They are a part of the judgement\nin the present life; by them God is chastening him, preparing him by\nthe suffering in the flesh to be more ready for the coming of the\nLord. In that day it will be seen how the servant has been made like\nunto his Master, how he has welcomed the purging which Christ gives to\nHis servants that they may bring forth more fruit. He believes, yea\nknows, that in the Judge who has been teaching and judging him here\nday by day he will find a Mediator and a Saviour. With the unbeliever\nall is otherwise. He has refused correction, has chosen his own path,\nand drawn away his neck from the yoke of Christ; his judgment is all\nyet to come. The Judge is ready, but He is full of mercy. St. Peter's\nphrase implies this. It tells of readiness, but also of holding back,\nof a desire to spare. He is on His throne, the record is prepared, but\nyet He waits; He is Himself the long-suffering Vinedresser who pleads,\n\"Let it alone this year also.\"\n\nSuch has been the mercy of God even from the days of Eden. In the\nfirst temptation Eve adds one sin upon another. First she listens to\nthe insidious questioning which proclaims the speaker a foe to God:\nthen without remonstrance she hears God's truth declared a lie;\nhearkens to an aspersion of the Divine goodness; then yields to the\ntempter, sins, and leads her husband into sin. Not till then does\nGod's judgement fall, which might have fallen at the first offence;\nand when it is pronounced, it is full of pity, and gives more space\nfor repentance. So, though the Judge be ready, His mercy waits. For He\nwill judge the dead as well as the living, and while men live His\ncompassion goes forth in its fulness to the ignorant and them that are\nout of the way.\n\n_For unto this end was the gospel preached even to the dead, that they\nmight be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to\nGod in the spirit._ \"_Unto this end_\"--what does it signify? What but\nthat God has ever been true to the name under which He first revealed\nHimself: \"The Lord God, merciful and gracious\" (Exod. xxxiv. 6); that\nHe has been preaching the Gospel to sinners by His dispensations from\nthe first day until now? Thus was the Gospel preached unto Abraham\n(Gal. iii. 8) when he was called from the home of his fathers, and\npointed forward through a life of trial to a world-wide blessing.\nHeeding the lesson, he was gladdened by the knowledge of the day of\nChrist. In like manner and unto this end was the Gospel sent to God's\npeople in the wilderness (Heb. iv. 2), even as unto us; but the word\nof hearing did not profit them. With many of them God was not well\npleased. Yet He showed them in signs His Gospel sacraments. They were\nall baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea, did all eat the\nsame spiritual meat, and all drank the same spiritual drink (1 Cor. x.\n2-4), for Christ was with them, as their Rock of refreshing, all their\njourney through the desert, preaching the Gospel by visitations now of\nmercy, now of affliction. Unto this end He brought them many a time\nunder the yoke of their enemies; unto this end He sent them into\ncaptivity. Thus were they being judged, as men count judgements, if\nhaply they might listen in this life to the gospel of trial and pain,\nand so live at last, as God counts life, in the spirit, when the final\njudgement-day is over. They are dead, but to every generation of them\nwas the Gospel preached, that God might gather Him a great multitude\nto stand on His right hand in the day of account.\n\nSome have applied the words of this verse to the sinners of the days\nof Noah, connecting them closely with iii. 19; and truly, though they\nbe but one example out of a world of mercies, they are very notable.\nThey were doomed; they were dead while they lived: \"Everything that is\nin the earth shall die\" (Gen. vi. 17). Yet to them the preacher was\nsent, and unto this end: that though they were to be drowned in the\nDeluge, and so in men's sight be judged, their souls might be saved,\nas God would have them saved, in the great day of the Lord. But every\nvisitation is a gospel, a gospel unto this end: that through judgement\nhere a people may be made ready in God's sight to be called unto His\nrest.\n\nFew passages have more powerful lessons than this for every age. The\nworld is full of suffering in the flesh. Who has not known it in many\nkinds? But it is in consequence, to those who will hear, very full of\nGospel sermons. They cry aloud, Sin no more; the time past may suffice\nto have wrought the will of the Gentiles. Suffering does not mean that\nGod is not full of love; rather it is a token that, in His great love,\nHe is training us, opening our eyes to our wrong-doings that we may\ncast them off, and giving us a true standard to judge between the\ndesire of the Gentiles and the will of God. And though men may look on\nus as sore afflicted, our Father, when the rest of our time in the\nflesh shall be ended, will give us the true life with Him in the\nspirit.\n\n\n\n\nXIII\n\n_CHRISTIAN SERVICE FOR GOD'S GLORY_\n\n     \"But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore of sound\n     mind, and be sober unto prayer: above all things being fervent in\n     your love among yourselves; for love covereth a multitude of\n     sins: using hospitality one to another without murmuring:\n     according as each hath received a gift, ministering it among\n     yourselves, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God; if any\n     man speaketh, _speaking_ as it were oracles of God; if any man\n     ministereth, _ministering_ as of the strength which God\n     supplieth: that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus\n     Christ, whose is the glory and the dominion for ever and ever.\n     Amen.\"--1 PETER iv. 7-11.\n\n\n_But the end of all things is at hand._ Well-nigh two thousand years\nhave passed away since the Apostle wrote these words. What are we to\nthink of the teaching they convey? For it is not St. Peter's teaching\nonly. Those who laboured with him were all of the same mind; all gave\nthe same note of warning to their converts. St. Paul exhorts the\nPhilippians, \"Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is\nat hand\" (Phil. iv. 5); and in the first letter to the Corinthians the\nlast words before his benediction are to the same purport: \"Maran\natha\" (1 Cor. xvi. 22); that is, The Lord cometh. St. James preaches,\n\"Stablish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh\" (James\nv. 8). To the Hebrews the Apostle writes, \"Yet a little while, and He\nthat shall come will come, and will not tarry\" (Heb. x. 37). While\nSt. John, who lived longer than any of the rest, conveys the warning\neven in more solemn tones: \"Little children, it is the last hour\" (1\nJohn ii. 18). Are we to look on these admonitions as so many mistaken\nutterances? Are we to think that the disciples had misunderstood the\nLord's teaching, or would they say the same words if they were with us\nto-day?\n\nWe may allow that those who had been present at the Ascension, and had\nheard the words of the angels declaring that \"this same Jesus should\nso come as they had seen Him go into heaven\" (Acts i. 11), might\nexpect His return to judge the world to be not far distant. But, in\nwhatever they say in reference thereto, their main concern is that men\nshould be ready. \"In such an hour as ye think not the Son of man\ncometh,\" is the ground-text of all their exhortations. Now had arrived\nthe fulness of the time (Gal. iv. 4) in which God had sent forth His\nSon, born of a woman; and if we take the verb of St. Peter's sentence\n\u1f25\u03b3\u03b3\u03b9\u03ba\u03b5, \"has come near\", we feel that he viewed the new era\non which the world had entered in this light. And so did the other\nApostles. One says, \"Now once in the end of the ages hath Christ been\nmanifested\" (Heb. ix. 26); another teaches that things of old \"were\nwritten for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come\"\n(1 Cor. x. 11). God has spoken aforetime in many portions and in many\nways, but in the end of these days He hath spoken in His Son (Heb. i.\n2). All things are now summed up in Christ; He is the end of all\nthings. Prophecy, type, sacrifice, all have passed away. There will\ncome no new revelation; no word more will be added to the Divine book.\nIts lessons will find in each generation new illustrations, new\napplications, but will admit no change of form or substance. The\nChristian dispensation, be it long or short, is the last time; it will\nclose with the Second Advent. And continual preparedness is to be the\nChristian's attitude. And this is the purport of St. Peter's next\nexhortations, which are as forceful to-day as they were eighteen\nhundred years ago.\n\n_Be ye therefore of sound mind._ Exactly the counsel which should\nfollow the previous lesson. It was misinterpreted at first, as it has\nbeen since. We know how unwisely the Thessalonians behaved when they\nhad been told by St. Paul, \"The day of the Lord so cometh as a thief\nin the night\" (1 Thess. v. 2). The Apostle learnt that they were\nsorely disturbed, and wrote them a second letter, from which we can\ngather how far they had wandered from soundness of mind. At first the\nApostle speaks gently: \"Be not quickly shaken from your mind, nor yet\nbe troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by epistle as from us,\nas that the day of the Lord is now present\" (2 Thess. ii. 2). But soon\nhe shows us how the excitement had operated. Some among them had begun\nto walk disorderly, apparently thinking that they might live upon the\ncommunity, working not at all, but being busybodies. These made, no\ndoubt, the approach of the day of the Lord their pretext. St. Paul\nbids such men in quietness to work and eat their own bread. To be\nfound at their duty was the best way of preparing for the end.\n\nHow soundness of mind may serve the Church of Christ is seen in the\nsettlement of that murmuring which arose (Acts vi. 1) as soon as the\nChristian disciples began to be multiplied in Jerusalem. It was the\nGrecian Jews who complained that their widows were neglected. The\nApostles wisely withdrew from the distribution about which the\ncomplaint was made, and more wisely still gave the oversight into the\nhands of Greeks (as the forms of all their names bear witness) who\nwould be fully trusted by the murmurers. \"And the word of God\nincreased.\" The pages of Church history supply examples in abundance\nof the need in religious matters for this soundness of mind. We need\nnot go back to very ancient times. What sore evils led to and arose\nout of the peasant war in Germany in the days of the Reformation,\nfollowed by those excesses which disgraced the name of Christianity in\nM\u00fcnster and other parts of Westphalia! And in our own land both at\nthat time and subsequently the unwise enthusiasm of those who acted as\nthough whatever had been must be wrong hindered sorely the temperate\nefforts of the more conservative and sober minds; while undue\nprominence given to single doctrines of the Gospel has many times\nwarped men's minds; and does so still, making the cause of Christ to\nbe hardly spoken of. A sense of proportion is a gift which the Church\nmay fitly pray for in her members, and that, while they seek to foster\nthe sevenfold graces of the Holy Spirit, they may ever keep in mind\nthe mercy of Him who bestows only a portion on each of us as we can\nreceive it, and makes no man the steward of them all.\n\n_And be sober unto prayer._ The Apostle selects one example wherein\nthe sound mind ought to be sought after, and he has chosen it so as to\nbe of general application. The wisdom to which he is exhorting is\nneeded for all men, both those who teach and those who hear, those who\nserve tables and those who are served thereby. Many members of the\nChristian body, however, will not be concerned with such special\nduties. But all will pray, and so to prayer he applies his precept.\n_Be sober._ A sound mind will preserve us from extravagance in our\napproach unto God. For even here extravagance may intrude. The\nCorinthian Church had gone very far wrong in this respect.\nOver-elated, losing soundness of mind, through the bestowal of certain\ngifts, they had introduced such irregularities into their religious\nmeetings that St. Paul speaks of occasions when they might have been\nregarded as madmen (1 Cor. xiv. 23). These were public prayers. St.\nJames applies the same standard to private prayers: \"Ye ask, and\nreceive not, because ye ask amiss\" (James iv. 3). There is no true\nprayer in your petitions. You have selected in your own hearts what\nyou would fain have and do, and you come before God with these as your\nsupplications. There is no thought in them of yielding to God's will,\nbut only the sense that if your petitions were granted you would reap\na present satisfaction. Ye ask amiss. Many a heart can testify to the\nproneness to err thus by want of sobriety.\n\n_Above all things being fervent in your love among yourselves._\nSoundness of mind and sobriety should dominate every part of the\nbeliever's life; but there are other virtues of pre-eminent\nexcellence, unto which, though they be far above him, he is encouraged\nto aspire. Of these St. Peter, like St. Paul (1 Cor. xiii. 13), places\nlove at the summit, above all things. The word he uses signifies that\nperfect love which is the attribute of God Himself. To frail humanity\nit must ever be an ideal. But the Apostle in his second epistle (2\nPeter i. 7) has given a progressive list of graces to be sought after\nin a holy life, a series of mountain summits each above the other, and\neach made visible through the one below it. Here, too, love comes as\nthe climax; and the Revised Version marks it as far above mere human\naffection: \"In your love of the brethren supply also love.\" Here is no\nanticlimax, if we once appreciate the grandeur of the concluding term.\n\nIn the present verse, however, the Apostle exhorts that this Divine\nquality is to be exercised by the converts among themselves, and\nexercised with much earnestness and diligence. It is to be the grace\nwhich pervades all their lives, and extends itself to every condition\nthereof. But we understand why St. Peter has used this word for love\nas soon as we come to the clause which follows: _For love covereth a\nmultitude of sins_. To cover sin is Godlike. It has been often asked,\nWhose sins are covered by this love, those of him who loves, or of him\nwho is loved? The question can have but one answer. There is nothing\nin the New Testament to warrant such a doctrine as that love towards\none's fellow-men will hide, atone for, or cancel any man's sins. When\nour Lord says of the woman who was a sinner, \"Her sins, which are\nmany, are forgiven; for she loved much\" (Luke vii. 47), it is not love\nto the brethren of which He is speaking, but love to God, which she\nhad manifested by her actions toward Himself; and when He presently\nadds, \"Thy faith hath saved thee,\" He tells us the secret of her\navailing love. But when men are animated by that love toward their\nneighbours which shows likest God's, they are tender to their\noffences; they look to the future more than to the past, hoping all\nthings, believing all things; they have tasted God's mercy in the\npardon of their own sins, and labour to do thus unto others, to cast\ntheir sins out of sight, to put them, as God does when He forgives,\nbehind their back, as though in being forgiven they were also\nforgotten. The phrase is quoted by St. Peter from Prov. x. 12, where\nSolomon says, \"Love covereth _all_ sins,\" and our Lord's words to St.\nPeter himself (Matt. xviii. 22) about forgiving until seventy times\nseven times practically set no limit to the extension of pardon to the\nrepentant. Thus taught, the Apostle uses the noble word \u1f00\u03b3\u03ac\u03c0\u03b7\nof human tenderness to offenders, because he would urge men\nto a boundless, all-embracing, Godlike pity for sinners.\n\n_Using hospitality one to another without murmuring._ We need only\nreflect on the narrative of the Acts of the Apostles to realise how\nlarge a part hospitality must have played in the early Church as soon\nas the preachers extended their labours beyond Jerusalem. The house of\nSimon the tanner, where Peter was entertained many days (ix. 43); the\nfriends who at Antioch received Paul and Barnabas and kept them for a\nwhole year (xi. 26); the petition of Lydia, \"Come into my house, and\nabide there\" (xvi. 15); and Jason's reception of Paul and Silas at\nThessalonica (xvii. 7), are but illustrations of what must have been\nthe general custom. Nor would such welcome be needed for the Apostles\nalone. The Churches must have been very familiar with cases of\nbrethren driven from their own country by persecution, or severed from\ntheir own kinsfolk by the adoption of the new faith. To such the kind\noffices of the Christian congregations must have been constantly\nextended, so that hospitality was consecrated into a blessed and\nrighteous duty. To be \"given to hospitality\" (Rom. xii. 13) is\nreckoned among the marks whereby it shall be known that believers,\nbeing many, are one body in Christ; and from the salutations in the\nlast chapter of the Epistle to the Romans we can frame a picture of\nthe large work of lodging and caring for strangers as it entered into\nthe duties of a Christian life. The brethren at Rome are exhorted to\nreceive and help Ph\u0153be, the bringer of the Epistle, because she had\nbeen a succourer of many, and of Paul himself. Of Priscilla and\nAquila, who are next named, we know that they were friends and\nfellow-workers with St. Paul in Corinth, and that in Ephesus they\nshowed their Christian love toward the stranger Apollos; and not only\nso, but they provided a place where the brethren might assemble for\ntheir worship. Later on is mentioned Mary, who bestowed much labour on\nthe brethren, Urbanus, a helper in Christ, and the households of\nAristobulus and Narcissus, whole families made friends through the\nextension of hospitality. Of the mother of Rufus St. Paul speaks\ntenderly as his own mother also. The coupling together of Philologus\nand Julia suggests that they were husband and wife and had opened\ntheir doors to the brethren, and the notice of Nereus and his sister\npoints to similar good offices. And from whatever place the Epistle\nwas sent to Rome, there Tertius, St. Paul's amanuensis, was under the\nhospitable roof of Gaius, whom he speaks of as the host of the whole\nChurch. Doubtless at times the burden might fall heavily on some of\nthe poorer brethren. Hence the need for the Apostle's addition\n_without murmuring_. The word is the same which is used (Acts vi. 1)\nof the complaints of the Grecians. And in this matter, as in all, a\nsound mind would be called for, that loads might be placed by the\nChurches only on such as were able to bear them.\n\nThe intimate fellowship that would grow out of such exercise of kind\noffices must have been a power to encourage greatly the labourers for\nChrist. As they dwelt together, hours not given to public\nministrations would be spent in private converse, and would knit the\nmembers together, and forward the common work. As St. Paul writes to\nPhilemon, who appears to have been eminent in good offices, the hearts\nof the saints were refreshed by this godly intercourse. In friendly\ncommunion the love of all would wax warmer, zeal become more earnest,\nthe weak would be strengthened, and the strong grow stronger.\n\n_According as each hath received a gift, ministering it among\nyourselves, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God._ The close\nconnexion between _gifts_ and _grace_ is better marked in the Greek\nthan it can be in the English. The \u03c7\u03b1\u03c1\u03af\u03c3\u03bc\u03b1\u03c4\u03b1 are bestowed\nupon us by the \u03c7\u03ac\u03c1\u03b9\u03c2 of God. But every word in the sentence\nis full of force. Each hath received a gift. None can plead his lack\nof faculty; none can claim exemption from the duty of ministering;\nnone is so poor but he has something that he can lay out for the\nbrethren. All have time; all have kind words: the least can give, what\nis the best of gifts, a good example. But what we have is not our own;\nit is received: and humility would teach us to believe that God has\nbestowed on us the powers which we are best fitted, by place and\nopportunities, to use in His service. None can say of any gift, \"It is\nall my own; I may do with it as I please.\" God has set the world about\nus full of His exchangers. The poor, the feeble, the doubting, the\nfearful--these are God's bankers, with whom we may put out our gifts\nto usury. And Himself is the security for all that we deposit thus:\n\"Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye\ndid it unto Me.\" Hence we live under the responsibility of\nstewardship. And every man's gift is given to profit withal\n(\u03c0\u03c1\u1f78\u03c2 \u03c4\u1f78 \u03c3\u03c5\u03bc\u03c6\u03ad\u03c1\u03bf\u03bd, 1 Cor. xii. 7). The Greek implies that it must\nbe shared with others. Nor can any of us make it a profit to himself\ntill he have found the way to make it profitable to his brethren.\n\nThat he may give more precision to his counsel, the Apostle proceeds\nto speak of gifts under two heads into which they are naturally\ndivided. First come those which St. Paul (Rom. xii. 6-8) ranges under\nthe head of prophecy, embracing therein teaching and exhortation\nlikewise: _If any man speaketh, speaking as it were oracles of God_.\nThe first Christian preachers must have gained their knowledge of the\nlife and teaching of Jesus by listening to the narratives of the\ntwelve, and must have gone forth to give their teaching orally. The\ntraining of those who were appointed to minister in the various places\nwhither the apostolic missions penetrated must have been of the same\nkind. In those first years there was work to be done which would seem\nmore important than the writing of a Gospel history. When such\npreachers published to the congregations what they had learnt of the\nMaster's lessons, their sermons would be orally given, and though\nconveying the same instruction, would be liable to constant\nmodifications of words. It was from such oral teaching that the\nvariations found in the Gospel narratives probably had their origin.\nThe preachers gave the spirit, and as nearly as possible the text, of\nwhat they had been taught. Perhaps by memoranda or otherwise, they\nwould refresh their knowledge of the apostolic words, so as to adhere\nas much as might be to what they had first received. The word\n\u03bb\u03cc\u03b3\u03b9\u03b1--oracles--which the Apostle here employs, seems intended to\nremind such preachers and teachers that they now, as the Jews of old,\nhad received \"living oracles\" (Acts vii. 38), words by which spiritual\nlife was conveyed, to deliver to the Church. Those of them who were\nJews would call to mind how God's prophets had constantly prefaced\ntheir message with \"Thus saith the Lord\" or concluded it with the\nDivine accrediting, \"I am the Lord\"; and that the Christian prophet\nmust bear in mind that he is only an ambassador, and must abide by his\ncommission, if he would speak with authority, that as a steward he\nmust ever think of the account to be some day given of the \"oracles of\nGod\" (Rom. iii. 2) with which he was entrusted, and must \"handle\naright the word of truth\" (2 Tim. ii. 15). For all such is St. Peter's\nadmonition, _If any man speaketh, speaking as it were oracles of God_.\n\nAnd next he turns to those gifts which are to be exercised in deeds,\nand not in words: _If any man ministereth, ministering as of the\nstrength which God supplieth_. Under \"ministry\" St. Paul classes (Rom.\nxii. 7, 8) giving, ruling, showing mercy. These are duties which\nsecure the temporal condition of the Church and her members. The New\nTestament story suggests many offices which could be discharged by\nthose who had not devoted themselves in a special manner to the\nministry of the word. How much service would be called for by those\ncollections for the saints which St. Paul urges so frequently upon the\nChurches! How many houses would find employment in such labours as\nwere exhibited in the home of Dorcas! How many a traveller, bent on\nhis secular work, would carry apostolic messages or letters to the\nflocks of the dispersion! To these may be added those offices of mercy\nwhich St. James describes as \u03b8\u03c1\u03b7\u03c3\u03ba\u03b5\u03af\u03b1, outward acts of\nreligion, to visit the widows and fatherless in their affliction. The\nstrength which God supplieth embraces every faculty or possession, be\nit wealth, administrative skill, or special knowledge. The physician\nand the craftsman alike may spend their powers for Christ. All may be\nconsecrated, ministered, as supplied of God. And it is a gain to the\nChurch when, following the apostolic pattern, these duties of external\nreligion are severed from the prophecy, the spiritual work of the\nteacher.\n\n_That in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, whose\nis the glory and the dominion for ever and ever. Amen._ This is to be\nthe thought which animates all who minister: that each man's service\nmay be so rendered to his brethren that it will work for the glory of\nGod. And Christ has led the way. He testifies in His final prayer, \"I\nglorified Thee on the earth, having accomplished the work which Thou\nhast given Me to do\" (John xvii. 4). Of our work we can use no such\nwords. We are but unprofitable servants. In many things we offend all.\nBut all may labour in the Christlike spirit; and thus through Him,\nthrough service rendered in His name and for His sake, will God be\nglorified. The thought of Jesus humbling Himself, taking the form of a\nservant, testifying of Himself, \"The Son of man came not to be\nministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for\nmany,\" can give a dignity to lowliest labour, and at the same time can\nimpart consolation to the true labourers, for whom this mighty ransom\nhas been paid, their inheritance won, their salvation achieved; while\nthe Conqueror of sin and death, their Redeemer, has taken His seat at\nGod's right hand, where worshipping spirits ever praise Him, saying,\n\"Worthy art Thou, our Lord and our God, to receive the glory, and the\nhonour, and the power\" (Rev. iv. 11).\n\n\n\n\nXIV\n\n_THE BELIEVER'S DOUBLE JOY_\n\n     \"Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial among\n     you, which cometh upon you to prove you, as though a strange\n     thing happened unto you: but insomuch as ye are partakers of\n     Christ's sufferings, rejoice; that at the revelation of His glory\n     also ye may rejoice with exceeding joy. If ye are reproached for\n     the name of Christ, blessed _are ye_; because the _Spirit_ of\n     glory and the Spirit of God resteth upon you.\"--1 PETER iv.\n     12-14.\n\n\nAfter the benediction in ver. 11, we might have supposed that the\nexhortations of the Apostle were ended. But he now proceeds to make\ngeneral application of the lessons which above (ii. 19) he had\nconfined to a particular class: the Christians who were in slavery.\nAnd the times appear to have called for consolation. The Churches were\nin great tribulation. St. Peter speaks here, more than in any other\npassage of the Epistle, as if persecution were afflicting the whole\nChristian body: _Beloved_--the word embraces them all--_think it not\nstrange concerning the fiery trial among you, ... as though a strange\nthing happened unto you_. His strong word implies extreme suffering.\nSt. John uses it (Rev. xviii. 9, 18) of the burning up of the mystical\nBabylon, and it is found nowhere else in the New Testament. A trial\nmeriting this description was harassing the Asian Christians; but\nspite of the intensity of suffering, which may be inferred from his\nlanguage; he bids the converts not to wonder at it or deem it other\nthan their proper lot: \"Think it not strange.\"\n\nHe does not enter upon reasons for his admonition, or he might have\nselected a goodly list of Old Testament saints who for their faith\nwere called to suffer. For the Jewish brethren, Joseph and David,\nElijah and Micaiah, David and his companions in exile, Job and\nNehemiah, would have been forcible examples of suffering for\nrighteousness. The Apostle, however selects only the loftiest\ninstance. Christ, the Master whom they were pledged to serve, had\nsuffered, and had said, besides, that all who would follow Him must\ntake up the cross. Need they wonder, then, if in their case they found\nthe Lord's teaching coming true?\n\nBut, in describing the purpose of their trials, the Apostle introduces\nsome words which place their affliction in a distinct light: _Which\ncometh upon you to prove you_--literally, for your proving\n(\u03c0\u03c1\u1f78\u03c2 \u03c0\u03b5\u03b9\u03c1\u03b1\u03c3\u03bc\u1f78\u03bd \u1f51\u03bc\u1fd6\u03bd). And the word is that which is constantly\nused of _temptation_, whether sent of God or coming in some other way.\nWhen viewed as a process of proving, the believers would be able to\nfind some contentment under their persecutions. God was putting them\nto the test. He would know if they are in earnest in His service, and\nso they are cast into the furnace, God's wonted discipline. The\nprophet Zechariah tells both of the process, and the God-intended\nresult: \"I will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as\ngold is tried; they shall call on My name, and I will hear them: I\nwill say, It is My people; and they shall say, The Lord is my God\"\n(Zech. xii. 9). And the Psalmist bears like testimony: \"The Lord\ntrieth the righteous\" (Psalm xi. 5), and says that for those who are\nfound faithful the end is blessedness: \"We went through fire and\nthrough water, but Thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place\" (Psalm\nlxvi. 12).\n\nSuch thoughts would yield comfort to those for whom St. Peter\nimmediately wrote. They were suffering for Christ's sake; their faith\nin Him was being tested. But the Apostle's words are left for the\nedification of all generations of believers. Throughout all time and\neverywhere there has been abundance of grief and pain. How may\nsufferers to-day participate in the apostolic consolation? How may\nthey learn to think it not strange that they are afflicted?\n\nThe Apostle's words supply the answer to such questions. And they are\nno light or infrequent questionings both for ourselves and others. Men\nare prone to lament over temporal losses or bodily sufferings, their\nown or others', in tones which convey the idea that such trials will\nin the end be compensated and made efficacious for the future blessing\nof the sufferer. The New Testament has no such doctrine. \"The trial\nwhich cometh upon you to prove you,\" is St. Peter's expression. There\nis much suffering in the world which is in no sense a participation of\nthe sufferings of Christ, in no sense a God-sent trial for proving the\nfaith of the sufferer.\n\nHere, if honestly questioned, the individual conscience will give the\ntrue answer; and if that inward witness condemn the life for no\nexcesses, of which suffering is the appointed fruit, if the bodily\npains be not the outcome of a life lived to the flesh, nor the sorrow\nand poverty the result of follies and extravagance aforetime, then,\nwith the anguish and distress which God hath sent (for we may then\ncount them as of His sending), the Spirit will have bestowed light\nthat we may discern their purpose, light which will show us God's\nhand weaning us from the world and making us ready for going home, or,\nit may be, giving to others through us His teaching in message and\nexample. Then the enlightened and pacified soul will be able to\nrejoice amid pain, conscious of purification; and will out of the\nmidst of sorrow see God's designs justified. Satan will look on such\ntimes as his opportunity, and suggest to the Christian that he is\nunduly afflicted and forgotten of God; but the joy which comes from\nbeing able to look trouble in the face, as sent by a Father, drives\naway despondency and puts the enemy to rout. He is triumphant who can\nrest on a faithful God, with an assurance that with the temptation He\nwill also make the way of escape, that he may be able to endure it (1\nCor. x. 13).\n\nBut dare we then pray, as Christ has taught us, \"Lead us not into\ntemptation\"? Yes, if we ponder rightly on the purport of our petition.\nChrist does not bid us pray to God not to try us; He Himself made no\nsuch prayer for His disciples; He was Himself submitted to such trial:\n\"It pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He hath put Him to grief\" (Isa.\nliii. 10). Nay, one Evangelist (Mark i. 12) tells us how He was not\nled, but _driven_ forth, of the Spirit into the wilderness to be\ntempted of the devil. Yet He taught the prayer to His disciples, and\nHe did so because He knew both what was in man, and what was in the\nworld. In the latter since sin entered, the tempter has found manifold\nenticements to lead men astray. All that belongs to the lust of the\nflesh, the lust of the eyes, or the pride of life, riches, influence,\nbeauty, popularity, prosperity of every kind, may be used as tests of\nfaith, may be made to glorify God; but they can also be perverted in\nthe using. And there dwell within man strong desires, which he is\nprompted to gratify at times, without heeding whether their\ngratification be right or wrong; and when desire and opportunity meet,\nthere is peril to the tempted.\n\n    \"How oft the sight of means to do ill deeds\n    Makes deeds ill done!\"\n\nAnd when desire has once gained the mastery, the next yielding is\nsooner made; the forbidden path becomes the constant walk; the moral\nprinciple--the Godlike in the conscience--is neglected; men grow\nweaker, are led away of their own lusts and enticed.\n\nOn the other hand, if the unlawful desire be resisted from the first,\neach succeeding conflict will offer less hardship, each new victory be\nmore easily gained, and the virtuous act will become a holy habit; the\nman will walk with God. For this end God uses the evil, of which Satan\nis the father, to be a discipline, and turns the snares of the enemy\ninto a means of strength for those whom he would captivate. Knowing\nall this, Christ has left us His prayer. In it He would teach us to\nask that God should protect us in such wise that the desire to sin\nwhich dwells within us may not be roused to activity by opportunities\nof indulgence, or if we are thrown where such opportunities exist, the\ndesire may be killed in our hearts. Thus our peril will be lessened,\nand we shall be helped to walk in the right way, through His grace.\nOur strong passions will grow weaker, and our weak virtues stronger,\nday by day.\n\nAnd such a petition should check all overweening confidence in our own\npower to withstand temptation, all overreadiness to put ourselves in\nthe way of danger that we may show our strength, and that we can\nstand though others may fall. The sin and folly of such presumption\nwould be constantly present to St. Peter's mind. He could not forget\nhow his own faith failed when he would make a show of it by walking to\nmeet Jesus over the sea of Galilee. Still less could he forget that\nutterance of self-confidence, which thought scorn of trials to come,\n\"Though I should die with Thee, yet will I not deny Thee.\" It needed\nbut the timid suggestion of a servant-maid to call forth that\nmanifestation of feebleness for which only tears of deepest penitence\ncould atone, and which remained the darkest memory in the Apostle's\nlife. He above all men knew to the full the need we have to pray,\n\"Lead us not into temptation.\"\n\nAnd in respect of courting trial, even when the suffering to be\nencountered would be allowed by all men to be suffering for\nrighteousness' sake, the New Testament gives us many lessons that we\nshould not offer ourselves to unnecessary danger. Our Lord Himself\n(John viii. 59), when the Jews took up stones to cast at Him, hid\nHimself and conveyed Himself out of harm's way. At another time we are\ntold, \"He would not walk in Jud\u00e6a because the Jews sought to kill Him\"\n(John vii. 1). St. Paul, too (2 Cor. xi. 33), to avoid uncalled-for\nsuffering, was let down by the wall of Damascus, and afterwards made\nuse of the dissensions of the Pharisees and Sadducees (Acts xxiii. 6)\nto divert the storm which their combined animosity would have raised\nagainst him. In this spirit St. Peter gives his counsel. \"Make sure,\"\nhe would say, \"that the trials you bear are sent to prove you. Let\nconstant self-questioning testify that they _are_ proving you; then\nwonder not that they are sent, but _rejoice inasmuch as ye are\npartakers of the sufferings of Christ_.\" He who thus learns the\nblessing of trial thanks the Lord for his troublous days. He has a\ndouble joy, rejoicing in this life, sorrowful yet alway rejoicing; and\nis assured that at the revelation of Christ's glory his joy shall be\nstill more abundant.\n\n_If ye are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are ye._ It was\na joy to the Apostles (Acts v. 41) at the beginning of their ministry\nthat they were counted worthy to suffer dishonour for the name. Their\noffence is described as speaking in the name of Jesus, and filling\nJerusalem with their teaching. The feeling of their persecutors was so\nstrong that they were minded to slay them, but upon wiser counsel they\nonly beat them and let them go. St. Paul's commission to Damascus\n(Acts ix. 14) was to bind all that called upon the name of Christ, and\nhis work after his conversion was to be \"to bear Christ's name before\nthe Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.\" What such\npreaching would be, we gather from St. Peter's words (Acts ii. 22).\nThey taught men that Jesus of Nazareth, a Man approved of God by\npowers, and wonders, and signs, had been crucified and slain by the\nJews, but that God had raised Him from the dead; that He was now\nexalted by the right hand of God and was ordained of God (Acts x. 42)\nto be the Judge of quick and dead; that to Him all the prophets bare\nwitness that through His name every one that believeth on Him should\nreceive remission of sins. St. Paul and the rest preached the same\ndoctrine. All that had happened in Christ's life was \"according to the\nScriptures\" (1 Cor. xv. 3, 4) of the Old Testament; Christ and Him\ncrucified (1 Cor. ii. 2), Jesus and the resurrection (Acts xvii. 18),\nare the topics constant in his letters and on his lips. And for their\ndoctrine and their faith preachers and hearers suffered persecution\nand reproach.\n\nIn our land suffering such as theirs is no more laid upon us, but for\nall that the reproach of Christ has not ceased. Our days are specially\nmarked by a desire for demonstration on every subject, and it comes to\npass thereby that those who are willing in spiritual things to walk by\nfaith rank in the estimation of many as the less enlightened portion\nof the world, and are pictured as such in much of our modern\nliterature. All that tells of miracle in the life of Jesus is by many\ncast altogether aside, as alien to the reign of law under which the\nworld exists; and the Gospel narratives of the virgin-birth, the\nwonderful works, the Resurrection, and the Ascension are treated as\nthe invention of the fervid imaginations of the first followers of\nJesus; while to cling to them as verities, and to their importance and\nsignificance in the work of the world's salvation, stamps men as\nlaggards in the march of modern speculation. To accept the New\nTestament story as the fulfilment of predictions in the Old is\nreckoned by many for ungrounded superstition; and among the\nunbelieving there are keen eyes still which gladly mark the slips and\nstumblings of professing Christians, and throw the obloquy of\nindividuals broadcast upon the whole body.\n\nTo hold fast faith at such a time, to accept the Gospels as true and\ntheir teaching as the words of eternal life, to see in Christ the\nRedeemer appointed from eternity by the foreknowledge of God, and to\nbelieve that in Him His people find remission of sins, to see and\nacknowledge above the reign of law the power of the almighty\nLawgiver--these things are still beset with trials for those who will\nlive in earnest according to such faith; and if we receive less of\nthe blessing which St. Peter here speaks of as accompanying the\nreproach of Christ, may we not fear that we exhibit less of the zeal\nand fervour of the Christians to whom he wrote?\n\n_Because the Spirit of glory and the Spirit of God resteth upon you._\nIn the former clause the Apostle, speaking of the joy of believers,\nexhorted the converts to a present rejoicing, even in the midst of\nsufferings, because these were borne for Christ's sake, that so, when\nHe shall appear in whose name they have suffered, their rejoicing may\nbe still more abundant. In like manner he seems here to regard their\nblessedness in a double aspect. The Spirit of glory rests upon them. A\npower is imparted to them whereby they accept their pains gladly, and\ntherein glorify God, and the same Spirit fills them with a sense of\nfuture glory. Like Stephen before his persecutors, they become filled\nwith the Holy Ghost, their spirits are lifted heavenwards, and even\nnow they behold the glory of God, and Jesus sitting on the right hand\nof God. Thus suffering is robbed of its sting, and Christ's reproach\nbecomes a present blessing.\n\nSt. Paul combines the same thoughts in his appeal to the Roman\nChristians. \"Let us rejoice,\" he urges, \"in the hope of the glory of\nGod\" (Rom. v. 2). This is the glory to be revealed in the presence of\nJesus Christ, that eternal weight of glory which affliction worketh\nfor us more and more exceedingly. But he continues, \"Let us rejoice\nalso in our tribulations,\" knowing that by them we may glorify God in\nour bodies, and that they are the pledge of glory to come. \"For\ntribulation worketh patience, and patience probation, and probation\nhope, and hope putteth not to shame\"--it will not be disappointed;\nfruition will surely come--\"because the love of God hath been shed\nabroad in our hearts through the Holy Ghost which was given unto us.\"\nThis is the Spirit of God of which St. Peter here speaks. It rests\nlike the cloud of glory above the cherubim, and bestows all spiritual\npower and blessing; it rests on the suffering believer, and gives him\nrest.\n\nThe Authorised Version has here retained a clause which appears to\nhave been at first but an explanatory note, written in the margin of\nsome copy, and then to have been incorporated with the text: \"On their\npart He is evil-spoken of, but on your part He is glorified.\" We\ncannot regret the preservation of such a note. It dates back to very\nearly times. The student who made it could write in the language of\nthe New Testament and in its spirit also. It gives us the sense which\nwas then felt to have most prominence and to be the most important.\nThe way of Christ was evil-spoken of, and it could be no strange thing\nin those days for His followers to be put to fiery trial. Yet the\nwriter feels that the blessedness of the believer is most secured who,\nregardless of blasphemers around him, strives with all his powers that\nin his body, whether by life or by death, Christ shall be magnified.\n\n\n\n\nXV\n\n_THE RIGHTEOUS HAVE JUDGEMENT HERE_\n\n     \"For let none of you suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or an\n     evil-doer, or as a meddler in other men's matters: but if _a man\n     suffer_ as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him\n     glorify God in this name. For the time _is come_ for judgement to\n     begin at the house of God: and if _it begin_ first at us, what\n     _shall be_ the end of them that obey not the gospel of God? And\n     if the righteous is scarcely saved, where shall the ungodly and\n     sinner appear? Wherefore let them also that suffer according to\n     the will of God commit their souls in well-doing unto a faithful\n     Creator.\"--1 PETER iv. 15-19.\n\n\nThe Apostle now goes one step farther in his exhortations. The\nbrethren are suffering for Christ's cause, and may draw comfort from\nChrist's example, and be encouraged to patience under their\npersecutions. But these very sufferings, he would have them see, are\nGod's judgement on His servants in this world, that they may be\ncounted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which they are called to\nsuffer. They must be watchful not to deserve punishment for offences\nthat bring disgrace on themselves and on the cause of Christ.\n\n_For let none of you suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or an\nevil-doer, or as a meddler in other men's matters._ He appears to\ndivide these offences into two classes, made distinct by the\nrecurrence of \u1f61\u03c2, \"as.\" The first three concern crimes of\nwhich the laws of any land would naturally take cognisance.\n\"Evil-doer\" was the word employed by the Jews when they brought our\nLord to Pilate: \"If he were not an evil-doer, we should not have\ndelivered him up unto thee\" (John xviii. 30). The last-named offence,\nmeddling in other men's matters, would bring upon the Christians\nsocial odium and render them generally unpopular; and it was precisely\nthe kind of conduct likely to prevail in such a time. We have already\nfound the Apostle exhorting Christian subjects not to think lightly of\nthe duty of obedience to heathen rulers, and the like counsel was\ngiven to Christian slaves with heathen masters and to Christian wives\nwith heathen husbands. Such persons would often be tempted to step\nbeyond their province with advice, and perhaps remonstrance, and to\ndisplay a sense of superiority in so doing which would be galling to\nthose who were of another mind. St. Peter's word to describe this\nfault is his own, but the idea that such fault needed checking is not\nwanting in the teaching of St. Paul, and may be taken as evidence that\nsuch an interfering spirit prevailed. He speaks of those \"who work not\nat all, but are busybodies\" (2 Thess. iii. 11), and to Timothy of\nthose who are \"tattlers and busybodies\" (1 Tim. v. 13).\n\nSt. Peter has ranged these offences in a descending order, placing the\nleast culpable last; and their compass embraces all that rightly might\ncome under the ban of the law or incur the just odium of society. To\nsuffer for such things would disgrace the Christian name; but there is\nno shame in suffering as a Christian, but rather a reason for giving\nglory to God. That the name was bestowed as a reproach seems probable\nfrom Acts xi. 26, and still more from the mocking tone in which it is\nused by Agrippa (Acts xxvi. 28); and in the earliest apologists we\nfind this confirmed. \"The accusation against us,\" says Justin Martyr,\n\"is that we are Christians\"; and in another place, \"We ask that the\nactions of all those who are accused before you should be examined, so\nthat he who is convicted may be punished as a malefactor, but not as a\nChristian.\"\n\n_But if a man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let\nhim glorify God in this name._ That is, let him be thankful and show\nhis thankfulness that he has been called to bear the name of Christ\nand to suffer for it. The Authorised Version, adopting a different\nreading, has \"on this behalf.\" But the sense is nothing different. He\nis to rejoice that this lot has befallen him, for it is of God's great\nmercy that we are purified here by trial; he who has not been tried\nhas not entered on the way of salvation. \"Let me fall into the hand of\nthe Lord,\" was the petition of David; and they are more blessed who\nfeel that hand in their correction than those who are cut away from\nit. It is a terrible lot to think of, if we be abandoned by Him to\nworldly prosperity. St. Paul congratulates the Philippians \"because to\nthem it had been granted, in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe\non Him, but also to suffer on His behalf\" (Phil. i. 29); and to\nanother Church (Eph. iii. 13) he declares that his own tribulations,\nendured for their sakes, ought to be to them a glory, because they\nmade known how precious those believers were in the sight of their\nheavenly Father for whose sake He allowed another to be afflicted that\nthey might be drawn more effectually unto Him. And if this be so, how\nmuch cause have they to bless and glorify God who may be permitted to\nthink that He is using their afflictions for a like purpose.\n\n_For the time is come for judgement to begin at the house of God._ The\ntime is come. Why does the Apostle speak thus? Because the final era\nof Divine revelation has begun. God has spoken unto men by His Son,\nand He by His incarnation and death has brought life and immortality\nto light. The new and living way is opened. We live in the fulness of\ntime, when the faithful, having the testimony of those who companied\nwith Christ, can love Him, though they see Him not, can rejoice in\nHim, and can receive, with full assurance, the end of their faith,\neven the salvation of their souls. Such souls have their judgement\nhere. With them God's judgement is neither postponed, nor is it penal.\nIt is disciplinary and corrective both for themselves and others. They\nare the house of God, the pillar and ground of the truth, and can be\nset forth as the salt of the earth, the light of the world. Of such\njudgement and its purpose St. Paul also speaks to the Corinthians:\n\"When we\" (the servants of Christ) \"are judged\" (by suffering in this\nlife), \"we are chastened of the Lord, that we may not be condemned\nwith the world\" (1 Cor. xi. 32). All chastening while it lasts is\ngrievous, yet afterward it yieldeth peaceable fruit unto them that\nhave been exercised thereby. And by such chastisement God prepares Him\nwitnesses to the truth and preciousness of Christianity; and so long\nas this time, which is now come, shall continue, so long will God try,\nand make judgement of, His servants in every generation.\n\nIn St. Peter's words we have an echo of prophecy. When the hand of the\nLord carried Ezekiel in vision back from Babylon to Jerusalem, he\nheard the voice of God commanding the destroyers, \"Begin at My\nsanctuary\" (Ezek. ix. 6). Yet in that evil age some were found who had\nbeen sighing and crying for all the abominations that were done in the\nmidst of the city. These holy ones, living in a naughty world, were\nGod's witnesses, feeling His judgements, but receiving His mark on\ntheir foreheads, that they should not be destroyed with the sinners.\nYears passed away, and at length the Lord of the Temple has Himself\ncome. He began His judgement at the house of God, casting out all that\ndefiled it. But it then had become a mere \"house of merchandise\"; nay,\nat a later day He named it \"a den of thieves.\" At last He left it for\never. Then it ceased to be God's house, and though it was spared some\nforty years, its fate was fixed when He went forth from it (Matt.\nxxiv. 1, 2) and said that not one stone of it should be left upon\nanother. Henceforth He will have other temples in the hearts of those\nwho worship Him in spirit and in truth. These are now the house of\nGod. With them He exercises judgement constantly for their instruction\nand amendment. But it shall turn unto them for a testimony in the end.\nNot a hair of their head shall perish; in their patience they shall\nwin their souls.\n\n_And if it begin first at us, what shall be the end of them that obey\nnot the gospel of God?_ The Apostle joins himself with those of the\nhouse of God who will feel the pressure of temporal judgement. He is\nnot forgetful of the Lord's saying, \"Simon, behold Satan asked to have\nyou that he might sift you as wheat, but I made supplication for thee\nthat thy faith fail not\" (Luke xxii. 31). He knows that he will be\ntried, but the end to him and all the faithful is that they may be\nbrought into the Father's home. To those who obey not the Gospel the\ndoom pronounced against the Temple answers the Apostle's question.\nThey have had their days of probation, and are like to Jerusalem at\nthe time of the Lord's lamentation, \"If thou hadst known in this day\nthe things which belong unto peace! but now they are hid from thine\neyes\" (Luke xx. 42). They cannot be said to disobey a law of which\nthey have not heard; the glad tidings have been preached unto them,\nbut have found no welcome. As of the doomed city, so of them, it may\nbe said, \"Ye would not.\" After their hardness and their impenitent\nheart, they have treasured up for themselves wrath in the day of the\nrevelation of the righteous judgement of God.\n\n_And if the righteous scarcely is saved, where shall the ungodly and\nsinner appear?_ The righteous is he who follows after righteousness,\nbut who feels that, in the midst of his efforts of faith, he needs to\ncry, \"Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief.\" It is of God's mercy\nthat He accepts the aim and purpose of our lives, and counts not by\ntheir results. All men are beset with temptation; in many things we\nall offend. Works of righteousness bear the taint; they come many a\ntime from wrong motives. The best of us need both the Father's\nchastisement, and, like Peter, the Saviour's prayers, and the Holy\nSpirit's guidance. This is what the Apostle means by \"scarcely saved.\"\nBy Divine help Christ's servants are brought nearer and nearer to the\nideal, \"Be ye holy.\" But though they live not in sin, sin lives in\nthem; and the warfare with evil is not ended till the burden of the\nflesh is laid aside. And as there are degrees in the progress of the\nrighteous up the hill of faith, so are there in the falling away of\nthe wicked; and St. Peter in his language appears to have had this in\nmind, for of the ungodly and sinner he uses a verb in the singular\n(\u03c6\u03b1\u03bd\u03b5\u1fd6\u03c4\u03b1\u03b9). Where shall _he_ appear? The man begins as the\nungodly, a negative character: he thinks not of God; has no reverence\nfor His law; puts Him away from all his thoughts. But in this state\nhe will not long remain. There is no standing still in things\nspiritual. He who does not advance goes backward, and the ungodly soon\nbecomes the wilful sinner. So sure is this development that the\nApostle combines the two aspects of the wicked man's life, and asks,\nnot, Where shall they, but Where shall he, appear?\n\nFor the judgement which for the righteous begins at God's house, and\nis wrought out in the trials of this life, awaits the disobedient when\nlife is ended. The Apostle leaves his solemn question unanswered; but\nat that day there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, only a fearful\nexpectation of judgement. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands\nof the living God then. Hence the greater blessedness of those who are\ntaken into God's hand of judgement now. And thus the Apostle comforts\nthe sufferers.\n\n_Wherefore let them also that suffer according to the will of God\ncommit their souls in well-doing unto a faithful Creator._ Again St.\nPeter goes back in thought to the words of Christ, \"Father, into Thy\nhands I commend My spirit\" (Luke xxiii. 46); and on these he builds\nhis final exhortation, which contains within it consolation in\nabundance. The test of the faithful is his perfect trust. \"Though He\nslay me, yet will I trust in Him\" (Job xiii. 15), was the confession\nwhich marked Job as more righteous than his advisers. The Revised\nVersion has varied the rendering of the final words in that passage in\nsuch wise as to explain how the trust is to be exhibited: \"I will wait\nfor Him\"--wait, sure that the event will be for my comfort and His\nglory. This is the spirit which waxes strong in trial. \"They that wait\nupon the Lord shall renew their strength\" (Isa. xl. 31), says the\nprophet. \"None that wait on the Lord shall be ashamed,\" is an\noft-repeated testimony of the psalmists (Psalms xxv. 3; xxxvii. 34;\nlxix. 6); and one whose name is a synonym for suffering tells us, \"The\nLord is good unto them that wait for Him\" (Lam. iii. 25). To such\ntrust St. Peter here exhorts, bidding specially them that suffer to\nrest on the Lord. Though they be punished in the sight of men, yet is\ntheir hope full of immortality, for the souls of the righteous are in\nthe hand of God, a trust which they repose in Him while they live\nhere, a treasure guarded by Him in the world to come. St. Paul knows\nof the efficacy of this perfect trust, for he writes to Timothy, \"We\nlabour and strive,\" counting bodily suffering as nothing, \"because we\nhave our hope set on the living God, who is the Saviour of all men,\nspecially of them that believe\" (1 Tim. iv. 10).\n\nThe Apostle links a holy life most closely with this trust in God. In\nwell-doing commit your souls unto Him. No otherwise can His\nguardianship and aid be hoped for. But the Lord knoweth the way of the\nrighteous, and with Him to know is to watch over and help. Nor should\nmen sorrow when they suffer according to God's will. Rather it is\ncause for gladness. For conscience must tell them that they need to be\npurged from much earthly dross which clings about them. So the fire of\ntrial may be counted among blessings.\n\nAnd with two words of exceeding comfort St. Peter strengthens the\nbelievers in their trust. God is faithful; His compassions fail not:\nthey are new every morning. In moments of despair the sorrowing\nChristian may feel tempted to cry out, with the Psalmist, \"Hath God\nforgotten to be gracious? hath He in anger shut up His tender\nmercies?\" (Psalm lxxvii. 10), but as he looks back on the path where\nGod has led him he is convinced of the unwisdom of his questioning,\nand cries out, \"This is my infirmity; I will remember the years of the\nright hand of the Most High.\"\n\nAnd this faithful God is our Creator. In the council of the Godhead it\nwas said in the beginning, \"Let us make man in our image.\" And God\nbreathed into his nostrils the breath of life, which made of him a\nliving soul. From God's hand he came forth very good, but sin entered,\nand the Divine image has been blurred and defaced. Yet in mercy the\nsame heavenly conclave planned the scheme for man's restoration to his\nfirst estate. The love which spake to Zion of old speaks through\nChrist to all mankind. \"Can a woman forget her sucking child? Yea, she\nmay forget; yet will I not forget thee\" (Isa. xlix. 15). In the\nfulness of time God has sent His Son to take hold upon the sons of\nmen, to wear their likeness, to live on earth and die for the souls\nwhich He has made. Trust, says the Apostle, in this almighty,\nunchanging love; trust God, your Father, your Creator. He will succour\nyou against all assaults of evil; He will comfort and support you when\nit is His desire to prove you; He will crown you, with your Lord, when\ntrials are no more.\n\n\n\n\nXVI\n\n_HOW TO TEND THE FLOCK_\n\n     \"The elders therefore among you I exhort, who am a fellow-elder,\n     and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, who am also a partaker\n     of the glory that shall be revealed: Tend the flock of God which\n     is among you, exercising the oversight, not of constraint, but\n     willingly, according unto God; nor yet for filthy lucre, but of a\n     ready mind; neither as lording it over the charge allotted to\n     you, but making yourselves ensamples to the flock. And when the\n     chief Shepherd shall be manifested, ye shall receive the crown of\n     glory that fadeth not away.\"--1 PETER v. 1-4.\n\n\nSt. Peter's last lesson was full of consolation. He showed that it was\nfrom God's hand that judgements were sent upon His people to purify\nthem and prepare them for His appearing. With this thought in their\nminds, he would have the converts rejoice in their discipline,\nconfident in the faithfulness of Him who was trying them. He follows\nthis general message to the Churches with a solemn charge to their\nteachers. They are specially responsible for the welfare of the\nbrethren. On them it rests by the holiness of their lives and the\nspirit in which they labour to win men to the faith. _The elders\ntherefore among you I exhort, who am a fellow-elder, and a witness of\nthe sufferings of Christ, who am also a partaker of the glory that\nshall be revealed: Tend the flock of God which is among you.\nTherefore_--because I know that the blessed purpose of trial is not\nalways manifest, and because the hope of the believer needs to be\nconstantly pointed to the faithfulness of God--I exhort you to tend\nzealously those over whom you are put in charge. \"Elders\" was the name\ngiven at first to the whole body of Christian teachers. No doubt they\nwere chosen at the beginning from the older members of the community,\nwhen the Apostles established Churches in their missionary journeys.\n\"They appointed for them elders in every Church\" (Acts xiv. 23); and\nit was the elders of the Church of Ephesus that Paul sent for to\nMiletus (Acts xx. 17). And St. Peter here contrasts them very\npointedly with those of younger years, whom he addresses afterwards.\nBut after it became an official title the sense of seniority would\ndrop away from the word.\n\nIt is clear from this passage that in St. Peter's time they were\nidentical with those who were afterwards named bishops. For the word\nwhich follows presently in the text and is rendered \"exercising the\noversight\" is literally \"doing the work of bishop, or overseer.\" And\nin the passage already alluded to (Acts xx. 15-28) those who at first\nare called elders are subsequently named bishops: \"The Holy Ghost hath\nmade you bishops to feed the Church of God\" (R.V.). As the Church grew\ncertain places would become prominent as centres of Christian life,\nand to the elders therein the oversight of other Churches would be\ngiven; and thus the overseer or bishop would grow to be distinct from\nthe other presbyters, and his title be assigned to the more important\noffice. This had not come about when St. Peter wrote.\n\nThe humility, which he is soon about to commend to the whole body, the\nApostle manifests by placing himself on the level of those to whom he\nspeaks: \"I, who am a fellow-elder, exhort you.\" He has strong claims\nto be heard, claims which can never be theirs. He has been a witness\nof the sufferings of Christ. He might have made mention of his\napostleship; he might have told of the thrice-repeated commission\nwhich soon supplies the matter of his exhortation. He will rather be\ncounted an equal, a fellow-labourer with themselves. Some have thought\nthat even when he calls himself a witness of Christ's sufferings he is\nnot so much referring to what he saw of the life and death of Jesus,\nas to the testimony which he has borne to his Master since the\npentecostal outpouring and the share which he has had of sufferings\nfor Christ's sake. If this be so, he would here too be reckoning\nhimself even as they, as he clearly intends to do in the words which\nfollow, where he calls himself a sharer, as they all are, in the glory\nto which they look forward. Thus in all things they are his brethren:\nin the ministry, in their affliction, and in their hope of glory to be\nrevealed.\n\nHe opens his solemn charge with words which are the echo of Christ's\nown: \"Feed My sheep\"; \"Feed My lambs.\" Every word pictures the\nresponsibility of those to whom the trust is committed. These brethren\nare God's flock. Psalmists and prophets had been guided of old to use\nthe figure; they speak of God's people as \"the sheep of His pasture.\"\nBut our Lord consecrated it still more when He called Himself \"the\ngood Shepherd, that giveth His life for the sheep.\" The word tells\nmuch of the character of those to whom it is applied. How prone they\nare to wander and stray, how helpless, how ill furnished with means of\ndefence against perils. It tells, too, that they are easy to be led.\nBut that is not all a blessing, for though docile, they are often\nheedless, ready to follow any leader without thought of consequences.\n\nBut they are God's flock. This adds to the dignity of the elder's\noffice, but adds also to the gravity of the trust, a trust to be\nentered on with fear and trembling. For the flock is precious to\nChrist, and should be precious to His shepherds. To let them perish\nfor want of tending is treachery to the Master who has sent men to His\nwork. And how much that tending means. To feed them is not all, though\nthat is much. To provide such nurture as will help their growth in\ngrace. There is a food store in God's word, but not every lesson there\nsuits every several need. There must be thoughtful choice of lessons.\nThe elders of old were, and God's shepherds now are, called to give\nmuch care how they minister, lest by their oversight or neglect--\n\n  \"The hungry sheep look up, but are not fed.\"\n\nBut tending speaks of watchfulness. The shepherd must yield his\naccount when the chief Shepherd shall appear. Those who are watchmen\nover God's flock must have an eye to quarters whence dangers may come,\nmust mark the signs of them and be ready with safeguards. And the\nsheep themselves must be strengthened to endure and conquer when they\nare assailed; they cannot be kept out of harm's way always. Christ did\nnot pray for His own little flock of disciples that they should be\ntaken out of the world, only kept from the evil. Then all that\nbetokens good must be cherished among them. For even tiny germs of\ngoodness the Spirit will sanctify, and help the watchful elder, by his\ntending, to rear till they flourish and abound.\n\nTo his general precept St. Peter adds three defining clauses, which\ntell us how the elder's duty may be rightly discharged, and against\nwhat perils and temptations he will need to strive: _exercising the\noversight, not of constraint, but willingly, according unto God_. How\nwould the oversight of an elder come to be exercised of constraint in\nthe time of St. Peter? Those to whom he writes had been appointed to\ntheir office by apostolic authority, it may have been by St. Paul\nhimself; and while an Apostle was present to inspire them enthusiasm\nfor the new teaching would be at its height: many would be drawn to\nthe service of Christ who would appear to the missionaries well fitted\nto be entrusted with such solemn charge and ministry. But even an\nApostle cannot read men's hearts, and it was when the Apostles\ndeparted that the Churches would enter on their trial. Then the\nfitness of the elders would be put to the test. Could they maintain in\nthe Churches the earnestness which had been awakened? Could they in\ntheir daily walk sustain the apostolic character, and help forward the\ncause both by word and life? Christianity would be unlike every other\nmovement whose officers are human if there were not many failures and\nmuch weakness here and there; and if the ministrations of elders grew\nless accepted and less fruitful, they would be offered with\never-diminishing earnestness, and the services, full of life at the\noutset, would prove irksome from disappointment, and in the end be\ndischarged only as a work of necessity.\n\nAnd every subsequent age of the Church has endorsed the wisdom of St.\nPaul's caution, \"Lay hands hastily on no man.\" Fervid zeal may grow\ncool, and inaptitude for the work become apparent. Nor are those in\nwhom it is found always solely responsible for a mistaken vocation.\nAs St. Paul's words should make those vigilant whose office it is to\nsend forth men to sacred ministries, so St. Peter's warning should\ncheck any undue urging of men to offer themselves. It is a sight to\nmove men to sorrow, and God to displeasure, when the shepherd's work\nis perfunctory, not done willingly, according to God.\n\nIn some texts the last three words are not represented, nor are they\nfound in our Authorised Version. But they have abundant authority, and\nso fully declare the spirit in which all pastoral work should be done\nthat they might well be repeated emphatically with each of these three\nclauses. To labour _according to God_, \"as ever in the great\nTaskmaster's eye,\" is so needful that the words may be commended to\nthe elders as a constant motto. And not only as in His sight should\nthe work be done, but with an endeavour after the standard which is\nset before us in Christ. We are to stoop as He stooped that we may\nraise those who cannot raise themselves; to be compassionate to the\npenitent, breaking no bruised reed, quenching no spark in the smoking\nflax. The pastor's words should be St. Paul's, \"We are your servants\nfor Jesus's sake,\" his action that of the shepherd in the parable:\n\"When he findeth it, he layeth it on his shoulders rejoicing.\" Such\njoy comes only to willing workers.\n\n_Nor yet for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind._ We do not usually\nthink of the Church in the apostolic age as offering any temptation to\nthe covetous. The disciples were poor men, and there is little trace\nof riches in the opening chapters of the Acts. St. Paul, too,\nconstantly declined to be a burden to the flock, as though he felt it\nright to spare the brethren. The lessons of the New Testament on this\nsubject are very plain. When our Lord sent forth His seventy\ndisciples, He sent them as \"labourers worthy of their hire\" (Luke x.\n7); and St. Paul declares it to be the Lord's ordinance that they\nwhich proclaim the Gospel should live of the Gospel (1 Cor. ix. 14).\nTo serve with a ready mind is to seek nothing beyond this. But it is\nclear both from St. Paul's language (1 Tim. iii. 3; Titus i. 7) and\nfrom this verse that there existed temptations to greed, and that some\nwere overcome thereby. It is worthy of note, however, that those who\nare given up to this covetousness are constantly branded with false\nteaching. They are thus described by both the Apostles. They teach\nthings which they ought not (Titus i. 11), and with feigned words make\nmerchandise of the flock (2 Peter ii. 3). The spurt of self-seeking\nand base gain (which is the literal sense of St. Peter's word) is so\nalien to the spirit of the Gospel that we cannot conceive a faithful\nand true shepherd using other language than that of St. Paul: \"We seek\nnot yours, but you.\"\n\n_Neither as lording it over the charge allotted to you, but making\nyourselves ensamples to the flock._ This, too, is a special peril at\nall times for those who are called to preside in spiritual offices.\nThe interests committed to their trust are so surpassingly momentous\nthat they must often speak with authority, and the Church's history\nfurnishes examples of men who would make themselves lords where Christ\nalone should be Lord. Against this temptation He has supplied the\nsafeguard for all who will use it. \"My sheep,\" He says, \"hear My\nvoice.\" And the faithful tenders of His flock must ever ask themselves\nin their service, Is this the voice of Christ? The question will be in\ntheir hearts as they give counsel to those who need and seek it, What\nwould Christ have said to this man or to that? The same sort of\nquestion will bring to the test their public ministrations, and will\nmake that most prominent in them which He intended to be so. Thus will\nbe introduced into all they do a due proportion and subordination, and\nmany a subject of disquiet in the Churches will thereby sink almost\ninto insignificance. At the same time the constant reference to their\nown Lord will keep them in mind that they are His servants for the\nflock of God.\n\nWhile he warns the elders against the assumption of lordship over\ntheir charges, the Apostle adds a precept which, if it be followed,\nwill abate all tendency to seek such lordship. For it brings to the\nmind of those set over the flock that they too are but sheep, like the\nrest, and are appointed not to dominate, but to help their brethren.\n_Making yourselves ensamples to the flock._ Christ's rule for the good\nshepherd is, \"He goeth before them, and the sheep follow him\" (John x.\n4). The weak take in teaching rather from what they see than from what\nthey hear. The teacher must be a living witness to the word, a proof\nof its truth and power. If he be not this, all his teaching is of\nlittle value. The simplest teacher who lives out his lessons in his\nlife becomes a mighty power; he gains the true, the lawful lordship,\nand--\n\n  \"Truth from his lips prevails with double sway.\"\n\nThe Apostles knew well the weight and influence of holy examples.\nHence St. Paul appeals continually to the lives of himself and his\nfellow-workers. We labour, he says, \"to make ourselves an ensample\nunto you that ye should imitate us\" (2 Thess. iii. 9); Timothy he\nexhorts, \"Be thou an ensample to them that believe\" (1 Tim. iv. 12),\nand Titus, \"In all things showing thyself an ensample of good works\"\n(Titus ii. 7). Nothing can withstand the eloquence of him who can dare\nto appeal to his brethren, as the Apostle does, \"Be ye imitators\ntogether of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an\nensample\" (Phil. iii. 7), and \"Be ye imitators of me, even as I also\nam of Christ\" (1 Cor. xi. 1). Such pattern shepherds have been the\nadmiration of every age. Chaucer, among his pilgrims, describes the\ngood parson thus:--\n\n    \"The lore of Christ and His Apostles twelve\n    He taught, and first he followed it himself.\"\n\nSuch are the lives of shepherds who remember that they are even as\ntheir flocks: frail and full of evil tendencies, and needing to come\ncontinually, in humble supplication, to the source of strength and\nlight, and to be ever watchful over their own lives. These men seek no\nlordship; there comes to them a nobler power, and the allegiance they\nwin is self-tendered.\n\n_And when the chief Shepherd shall be manifested, ye shall receive the\ncrown of glory that fadeth not away._ For their consolation the\nApostle sets before the elders their Judge in His self-chosen\ncharacter. He is the chief Shepherd. Judge He must also be when He is\nmanifested; but while He must pass sentence on their work, He will\nunderstand and weigh the many hindrances, both within and without,\nagainst which they have had to fight. Of human weakness, error, sin,\nsuch as besets us, He had no share; but He knows whereof we are made,\nand will not ask from any of us a service beyond our powers. Nay, His\nSpirit chooses for us, would we but mark it, the work in which we can\nserve Him most fitly. And He has borne the contradiction of sinners\nagainst Himself. In judging His servants, then, He will take account\nof the wilfulness of ears that would not hear and of eyes that would\nnot see, of the waywardness that chose darkness rather than light,\nignorance rather than Divine knowledge, death rather than life.\n\nTherefore His feeble but faithful servants may with humble minds\nwelcome His appearing. He comes as Judge. _Ye shall receive._ It is a\nword descriptive of the Divine award at the last. Here it marks the\nbestowal of a reward, but elsewhere (2 Peter ii. 13) the Apostle uses\nit for the payment to sinners of the hire of wrong-doing. But the\nJudge is full of mercy. Of one sinner's feeble efforts He said, \"She\nhath done what she could. Her sins are forgiven.\" And another who had\nlaboured to be faithful He welcomed to His presence: \"Enter into the\njoy of thy Lord.\" To share that joy, to partake of His glory, to be\nmade like Him by beholding His presence--this will be the faithful\nservant's prize, a crown of amaranth, unwithering, eternal.\n\n\n\n\nXVII\n\n_BE CLOTHED WITH HUMILITY_\n\n     \"Likewise, ye younger, be subject unto the elder. Yea, all of you\n     gird yourselves with humility, to serve one another: for God\n     resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble. Humble\n     yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may\n     exalt you in due time; casting all your anxiety upon Him, because\n     He careth for you.\"--1 PETER v. 5-7.\n\n\nHaving admonished the shepherds, the Apostle now turns to the flock,\nand his words recall the exhortations which he has given several times\nbefore. In ii. 13 he taught Christian subjects the duty of submission,\neven should it be their lot to live under heathen rulers. A few verses\nfurther on in the same chapter he repeated this teaching to Christian\nslaves with heathen masters, and the third chapter opens with advice\nof the same character to the wives who were married to heathen\nhusbands. And now once more, with his favourite verb \"be subject,\" he\nopens his counsel to the Churches on their duty to those set over\nthem. The relation between the elders and their flock will not be as\nstrained, or not strained after the same manner, as between Christians\nand heathens in the other cases, but the same principle is to govern\nthe behaviour of those who hold the subject position. The duly\nappointed teachers are to be accepted as powers ordained of God, and\ntheir rule and guidance followed with submission.\n\n_Likewise, ye younger, be subject unto the elder._ He teaches that as\nthere is a duty of the elders to the younger, so there is a reciprocal\nduty which, in like manner and with the same thoroughness, must be\ndischarged by the younger to the elders. In those early days the\ncongregation could fitly be spoken of as \"the younger.\" Naturally the\nteachers would be chosen from those who had been the first converts.\nThe rest of the body would consist not only of those younger in years,\nbut younger in the acceptance of the faith, younger in the knowledge\nof the doctrines of Christ, younger in Christian experience. And if\nthe Churches were to be a power among their heathen surroundings, it\nmust be by their unity in spirit and faith; and this could only be\nsecured by a loyal and ready following of those who were chosen to\ninstruct them.\n\nBut lest there may be any undue straining of the claim to submission,\nthere follows immediately a precept to make it general: _Yea, all of\nyou gird yourselves with humility, to serve one another_. Thus will be\nrealised the true idea of the Christian body, where each member should\nhelp all, and be helped of all, the rest, eye and hand, head and feet,\neach having their office, and each ministering therein as parts of the\none body. This idea of general humility was altogether unknown to the\nworld before Christ's coming. The word, therefore, is one coined for\nChristian use: lowliness of mind, a frame wherein each deems others\nbetter than himself. And with it the Apostle has coupled another word\nfor \"gird yourselves,\" which is well fitted to be so placed. It is\nfound nowhere else, and is full of that graphic character of which he\nis so fond. The noun from which it is derived signifies \"an outer\ngarment,\" mainly used by household servants and slaves, to cover\ntheir other clothing and keep it from being spoiled. It appears to\nhave been bound round the waist by a girdle. The word is a complete\npicture. St. Peter sees in humility a robe which shall encompass the\nwhole life of the believer, keeping off all that might sully or defile\nit; and into the sense of the word comes the lowly estate of those by\nwhom the garment in question was worn. It was connected entirely with\nthe humblest duties. Hence its appropriateness when joined with \"serve\none another.\"\n\nAnd one cannot in studying this striking word of the Apostle but be\ncarried in thought to that scene described by St. John where Jesus\n\"took a towel and girded Himself\" (John xiii. 4) to wash the feet of\nHis disciples. St. Peter gained much instruction from that washing,\nand he has not forgotten the lesson when he desires to confirm the\nbrethren in Christian humility. \"I have given you an example, that ye\nalso should do as I have done to you,\" was the Lord's injunction; and\nthis the Apostle delivers to the Churches. And verily Christ spake of\nHimself more truly than of any other when He described the master's\ntreatment of his watchful servants: \"He shall gird himself, and make\nthem sit down to meat, and shall come and serve them\" (Luke xii. 37).\nSuch has been the Lord's humiliation, who took upon Him our flesh, and\nnow bids us to His banquet, where, through His Spirit, He is ever\nwaiting to bless those who draw near.\n\nHow this exhortation to humility in dealing with one another is\nconnected with the verse (Prov. iii. 34) by which the Apostle supports\nit does not perhaps immediately appear. _For God resisteth the proud,\nbut giveth grace to the humble._ But a little reflection on the\ncharacteristics of pride towards men soon makes us conscious that it\nis very closely united with pride towards God. The Pharisee who\ndespises the publican, and thanks God in words that he is not such a\none, feels in his heart no thankfulness nor care for God at all. His\nown acts have made him the pattern of goodness which he conceives\nhimself to be. And we discover the like in every other exhibition of\nthis spirit. The term (\u1f51\u03c0\u03b5\u03c1\u03ae\u03c6\u03b1\u03bd\u03bf\u03b9) by which these haughty\nones are described indicates a desire to be conspicuous, to stand\napart from and above their fellows. They are self-centred, and look\ndown upon the rest of the world, and forget their dependence upon God.\n\nSt. Peter in his quotation has followed the Septuagint. In the Hebrew\nthe first half of the verse is, \"He scorneth the scorners.\" And this\nis the manner of God's dealing. He pays men with their own coin.\nJacob's deceit was punished in kind by the frequent deceptions of his\nchildren, so that at last he could hardly credit their report that\nJoseph is still alive. David was scourged for his offences exactly\naccording to his own sin. But the word which the Apostle has drawn\nfrom the Septuagint is also of solemn import. It declares a state of\nwar between God and man. God _resisteth_ the proud; literally, He\nsetteth Himself in array against them. And their overthrow is sure.\nThey that strive with the Lord shall be broken to pieces. The Psalmist\nrejoices over the contrary lot: \"The Lord is on my side; I will not\nfear. What can man do unto me?\" (Psalm cxviii. 6). He had realised the\nfeebleness of human strength, even for man to rely on, much more if it\nstand in opposition to God. \"It is better to trust in the Lord than to\nput any confidence in man,\" be it in ourselves or in others. So out of\nhis distress he called upon the Lord. It is the sense of need which\nmakes men humble; and to humbled souls God's blessing comes: \"He\nanswered me, and set me in a large place.\"\n\nAnd as though He would mark humility as the chief grace to prepare men\nfor His kingdom, the Lord's first words in His sermon on the mount are\na blessing on the lowly-minded: \"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for\ntheirs is the kingdom of heaven\"--not shall be, but _is_ theirs even\nnow. God's favour to the humble is a present gift. How the sense of\nthis swells the thanksgivings of Hannah and the Virgin Mary! And to\nteach the lesson to His disciples, when they were far from humility\nand were anxious only to know which of them should be above the rest\nin what they still dreamt of as an earthly kingdom, He took a little\nchild and set him before them, as the pattern to which His true\nfollowers must conform. This childlike virtue gives admission to the\nkingdom of heaven; its possessors have the kingdom of God within them.\n\nAnd St. Peter feeds the flock as he himself was fed. _Humble\nyourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt\nyou in due time._ The Apostle may be referring in these words to the\ntrials which were upon the converts when he wrote to them. These he\nwould have them look upon as God's discipline, as a cause for joy\nrather than sorrow. Christian humility will not rebel against\nfatherly, merciful correction. How the good man bows before the hand\nof God we see in Moses when God refused to let him go over into\nCanaan: \"I besought the Lord, saying, O Lord God, Thou hast begun to\nshow Thy servant Thy greatness and Thy strong hand.... Let me go over,\nI pray Thee, and see the good land that is beyond Jordan. But the Lord\nwas wroth with me for your sakes, and hearkened not unto me\" (Deut.\niii. 23). And so the meek prophet, who knew that his withdrawal was\nfor the people's sake, having sung, \"Happy art thou, O Israel; who is\nlike unto thee, a people saved by the Lord?\" (Deut. xxxiii. 29), went\nup unto Mount Nebo and died there, when his eye was not dim, nor his\nnatural force abated. Hence his praise: \"There hath not arisen a\nprophet since in Israel like unto Moses.\" Humility was his dying\nlesson.\n\nBut as the Apostle has just been speaking of the duty owed to the\nelders as teachers, it is perhaps better to apply the words of the\nexhortation in that sense. Those who were set over the Churches were\nso set in the Lord. For the time they represented His hand, the hand\nof care and guidance to those who were submissive. In honouring them,\nthe younger were honouring God. Thus the lesson would be, Bend your\nhearts to the instruction which He imparts through their words; yield\nyour will to His will, and order your life to be in harmony with His\nprovidence; live thus that He may exalt you. For the hand which may\nseem heavy now will be mighty to raise you in due time. And that time\nHe knows. It is His time, not yours. If it tarry, wait for it. It will\nsurely come; it will not tarry, when the Divine discipline has done\nits work.\n\n_Casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He careth for you._ When\nmen do this the due time has come. Till this stage is reached there\ncan be no true humility. But how slow men are in reaching it! We are\nwilling to bring to God a little here and there of our sorrow and our\nfeebleness, but would fain still carry a part of the load ourselves.\nHuman pride it is which cannot stoop to owe everything to God; want of\nfaith, too, both in the Divine power and the Divine love, though our\ntongues may not confess it. What a powerful homily on this verse is\nthe conduct of the youthful David when he went forth against the\nPhilistine! \"The Lord,\" he says to Saul, \"that delivered me out of the\npaw of the lion and out of the paw of the bear, He will deliver me out\nof the hand of this Philistine.\" And when the king offered his own\ncoat of mail, though tempted thereby, he put the armour away, saying,\n\"I cannot go with these, for I have not proved them.\" He knew that God\nhad given him skill with the humbler weapons, and it was God's battle\nin which he was to engage. So with his stones and his sling he went\nforth, telling the defiant challenger, \"I come to thee in the name of\nthe Lord of hosts.\" The action is a comment on the Psalmist's words,\n\"Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring\nit to pass\" (Psalm xxxviii. 5).\n\nBut neither the young hero by his example, nor the Apostle in his\nexhortation, teaches a spirit of careless indifference and neglect of\nmeans. David chose him five smooth stones out of the brook. These he\ncould use. With these God had delivered him aforetime. And in every\ncondition men are bound to use the best means they know to ensure\nsuccess, and the Christian will pour out his prayers for guidance and\nforesight in temporal concerns. That done, the counsel of Christ, on\nwhich St. Peter's exhortation is grounded, is, \"Be not overanxious;\nyour heavenly Father knoweth your needs.\" And he who has grown humble\nunder the mighty hand of God in trials has learnt that the same hand\nis mighty to save: \"He careth for you.\" When this perfect trust is\nplaced in God, the load is lifted. It is, as the Psalmist says\nliterally, _rolled_ upon the Lord (Psalm xxxviii. 5).\n\nHow salutary this teaching for both the elders and the congregations\namong these Christians of the dispersion, and how full the promise of\nhelp and blessing. The teachers had been placed in the midst of\ndifficulties and charged with a mighty responsibility; but robed in\nthe garment of humility, casting aside all self-trust, coming only in\nthe name of the Lord, the burden would be raised by the almighty arms\nand made convenient to their powers. And to the younger the same lowly\nspirit, loving thoughts toward those who cared for their souls, would\nbe fruitful in blessing. For the same God who resisteth the proud\nshowers His grace upon the humble. It falls on them as the dew of\nHermon, which cometh down upon the mountains of Zion. Unto them Christ\nhas proclaimed His foremost blessing; has promised, and is giving, the\nkingdom of heaven to humble souls, and will give them life for\nevermore.\n\n\n\n\nXVIII\n\n_THROUGH PERILS TO VICTORY_\n\n     \"Be sober, be watchful: your adversary the devil, as a roaring\n     lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom withstand\n     steadfast in your faith, knowing that the same sufferings are\n     accomplished in your brethren who are in the world. And the God\n     of all grace, who called you unto His eternal glory in Christ,\n     after that ye have suffered a little while, shall Himself\n     perfect, stablish, strengthen you. To Him _be_ the dominion for\n     ever and ever. Amen.\n\n     \"By Silvanus, our faithful brother, as I account _him_, I have\n     written unto you briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is\n     the true grace of God: stand ye fast therein. She that is in\n     Babylon, elect together with _you_, saluteth you; and _so doth_\n     Mark my son. Salute one another with a kiss of love.\n\n     \"Peace be unto you all that are in Christ.\"--1 PETER v. 8-14.\n\n\nNot only had these Asian Christians to suffer from the opposition and\ncalumnies of the heathen and from the estrangement of former friends:\nthere were perils within the Churches themselves. There were weak\nbrethren, who fell away when trials came, and infected others with\ntheir despondency; there were false brethren, with whom faith was a\nmere consent of the understanding, and not the spring of a holy,\nspiritual life. These spake of the liberty of Christ as though it were\nan emancipation from all moral restraints. Such dangers asked for\nfirmness both in the elders and their hearers. To withstand them there\nmust be a constant growth in Christian experience, whereby the\nfaithful might wax steadfast, and attain to the strength and stature\nof the fulness of Christ. These dangers became more manifest before\nSt. Peter wrote his second letter, where we find them described in\ndark colours.\n\nHere to the converts, exposed to the assaults of these temptations, he\nenjoins the same well-ordered frame of mind which before (i. 13) he\ncommended to them as they looked forward to the hope in store for\nthem, and also (iv. 7) in their prayers, that their petitions might be\nsuch as suited with the approaching end of all things. _Be sober_, he\nsays again, and combines therewith an exhortation which without\nsobriety is impossible: _Be watchful_. If the mind be unbalanced,\nthere can be no keeping of a true guard against such dangers as were\naround these struggling believers. And it is impossible not to connect\nsuch an exhortation from his lips with those words of Christ, which\none Evangelist says were expressly addressed to St. Peter, \"Watch and\npray, that ye enter not into temptation\" (Mark xiv. 37, 38). He who\nhad received this admonition was conscious that, as in his own case,\nso with these his converts, the spirit might be willing, but the flesh\nwas weak, and the enemy mighty.\n\n_Your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking\nwhom he may devour._ In the days of Job, when God asked of Satan,\n\"Whence comest thou?\" his answer was, \"From going to and fro in the\nearth and from walking up and down in it\" (Job i. 7). Of this Old\nTestament language the Apostle here makes partial use in his\ndescription of the enemy of mankind. He walketh about in the earth,\nwhich is his province, for he is called the prince of this world (John\nxii. 31) and the god of this world (2 Cor. iv. 4). And the Greek word\n\u1f00\u03bd\u03c4\u03af\u03b4\u03b9\u03ba\u03bf\u03c2, \"adversary,\" which St. Peter uses as a\ntranslation of the Hebrew \"Satan,\" is well chosen, for it describes\nnot an ordinary enemy, but one who acts as an opponent would in a\ncourt of law. Such was Satan from the first, an accuser. In Job's case\nhe accused the Patriarch to his God: \"Doth Job serve God for nought?\"\n\"Put forth Thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, or touch his\nbone and his flesh, and he will curse Thee to Thy face.\" In earlier\ndays he appears as the accuser of God Himself: \"Ye shall not surely\ndie, for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof then your eyes\nshall be opened, and ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil\" (Gen.\niii. 4, 5). And with such-like suggestions he assails the faithful\ncontinually, speaking either to their unguarded hearts, or by the\nwords of his servants, of whom he has no lack. St. Paul dreaded his\npower for the Thessalonian converts: \"I sent that I might know your\nfaith, lest by any means the tempter had tempted you, and our labour\nshould be in vain\" (1 Thess. iii. 5). And St. Peter's words are\ndictated by the same fear; he has the same wish to keep the flock\nsteadfast in their faith. To them Satan's whisperings would be after\nthis sort: \"You are forgotten of God\"; \"Love could never leave you so\nlong in trial.\" Or his agents would say in scorn, \"How can you talk of\nfreedom, when your life is one long torment? What is the profit of\nfaith, when it gives you no liberty?\" And such questions are perilous\nto feeble minds. The Apostle marks the great danger by a comparison\nwhich Ezekiel (xxii. 25) had used before him, speaking of the tempter\nas a roaring lion, ever hungry for his prey. There is but one weapon\nwhich can vanquish him. \"This is the victory that hath overcome the\nworld, even our faith\" (1 John v. 4). St. Peter's lesson is the same\nas St. John's.\n\n_Whom withstand steadfast in your faith, knowing that the same\nsufferings are accomplished in your brethren who are in the world._\nThe steadfast faith must be the firm foundation of God; and the same\nthoughts, which St. Paul commends as a correction of those who have\nerred concerning the truth, are those most fit to be urged upon St.\nPeter's converts to render them steadfast. \"The Lord knoweth them that\nare His\" (2 Tim. ii. 19), and with the Lord to know is to care for and\nto save. And \"let every one that nameth the name of the Lord depart\nfrom unrighteousness.\" This is the perfect law, the law of true\nliberty, and he who continueth therein, being not a hearer that\nforgetteth, but a doer that worketh, shall be blessed in his doing.\nThus resting on God and thus ruling himself, he shall be kept from the\nsnares of the enemy, and having withstood in the evil day, shall still\nbe made able to stand.\n\nAnd to such steadfastness the brethren are to be moved by the\nknowledge that others are in the same affliction. How shall such\nknowledge minister support? The mere knowledge that others bear a like\nburden does not strengthen our own shoulders; to hear of others' pains\nwill not relieve our own. Not so. But just as it is a power in warfare\nwhen men see their leader before them, facing the same perils, hear\nhis voice cheering them by his courage, inspiring them with his hope;\njust as it is a support to brave men to find brave brethren at their\nside in the conflict, animated by the same spirit, marching forward to\nthe same victory, so is it in the Christian struggle. All Christians\nare to be steadfast, the elders like the leaders of an army, the\nyounger like the soldiers who follow, that, moving with one spirit\nagainst the foe, feeling that each is like-minded with all the rest,\nwhile all are equally conscious of the importance of victory, they may\ngrasp hands as they go forward, and be heartened thereby, being sure\nthat in the danger they will have helpers at their side.\n\nAnd that he may give the more emphasis to this idea of unity, in\nwhich, though the suffering is common to all, yet the hope is also\ncommon, and the victory is promised to all, the Apostle does not speak\nof the converts as a multitude of brethren, but uses a noun in the\nsingular number, naming them (as the margin of the Revised Version\nindicates) \"a brotherhood\" (\u1f00\u03b4\u03b5\u03bb\u03c6\u03cc\u03c4\u03b7\u03c2). And when they\nregarded themselves as \"a brotherhood in the world,\" the thought would\nhave its comforting as well as its painful aspect. The world, as\nScripture speaks of it, is void of faith. Hence the believer, while he\nlives in it, is amid jarring surroundings, and is sure to suffer. \"In\nthe world ye shall have tribulation.\" But it is not to last for ever,\nnor for long. \"The world passeth away, but he that doeth the will of\nGod abideth for ever.\" And though the brotherhood in the world must\nsuffer, yet there is that other brotherhood beyond; and there the\nsuffering will not be remembered for the glory that shall be revealed\nin us.\n\n_And the God of all grace, who called you unto His eternal glory in\nChrist, after that ye have suffered a little while, shall Himself\nperfect, stablish, strengthen you._ Being now about to sum up the\ngreat work of Christian advancement, in which from first to last the\npower is bestowed by God, St. Peter finds no title more fitting to\nexpress the Divine love than \"the God of _all_ grace.\" The invitation\nto become partakers of the glory which Christ has won by His\nsufferings, won that He may bestow it upon men, was God's free call.\nOur sufferings, the discipline which the Father employs to purge and\npurify us, are to last but a little while. Then those whom He has\ncalled He will also justify, and those whom He justifies He will in\nthe end glorify. Thus St. Paul (Rom. viii. 30) describes the\noperations of Divine grace. St. Peter, with the same lesson, uses\nwords more after his own graphic manner. He gives us a picture of\nGod's work in its several stages. First God will complete in all its\nparts the work which He has begun. He will make it so that He can\npronounce it very good, as He did when the worlds _were perfected_ in\nthe first creation (Heb. xi. 3), making His people to be so\n_perfected_ that they may be as their Master (Luke vi. 40). Then He\nwill sustain and support that which He has brought to its best estate.\nThere shall not be, as in the first creation, any falling away. New\ngifts shall be bestowed by the Holy Spirit, through the ministration\nof the word. It was for such a purpose that St. Paul longed to visit\nthe Roman Church, that he might impart unto them some spiritual gift,\nto the end that they might be _established_. And what has been\nperfected and established shall also by the same grace be made strong,\nthat it may endure and withstand all assaults.\n\nIn many ancient texts a fourth verb is given, which the Authorised\nVersion renders \"settle.\" It signifies \"to set on a firm foundation,\"\nand it is of the figurative character which marks St. Peter's\nlanguage, and, beside this, is not uncommon in the New Testament\n(Matt. vii. 25; Luke vi. 48; Heb. i. 10, etc.). But the verbs\nimmediately preceding have no direct reference to a building, and the\naddition arises probably from a marginal note, made to illustrate the\ntext and by some later scribe incorporated with it. The whole passage\nbrings to mind Christ's injunction to the Apostle, \"When thou art\nconverted, strengthen thy brethren.\"\n\n_To Him be the dominion for ever and ever. Amen._ A fitting doxology\nto follow the Apostle's enumeration of the riches of Divine grace. He\nwho feels that every gift he has is from above will with ready\nthankfulness welcome God's rule, and seek to submit himself thereto,\nmaking it the law of his life here, as he hopes it will be hereafter.\n\n_By Silvanus, our faithful brother, as I account him, I have written\nunto you briefly._ Silvanus was that Silas who accompanied St. Paul in\nhis second missionary journey through the districts of Phrygia and\nGalatia (Acts xvi. 6), to which St. Peter addresses his letter. To\nsend it by the hand of one known and esteemed among these Churches for\nhis former labours and for his friendship with the great Apostle of\nthe Gentiles would secure acceptance for it, while the bearer would\ntestify to the unity of the doctrine preached by the two Apostles. He\nwho had been a faithful brother to St. Paul was so also to St. Peter,\nand was by him commended to the Churches. For the expression, _I\naccount him_, implies no doubt or question in the Apostle's own mind.\nIt is the utterance of a matured opinion. The verb (\u03bb\u03bf\u03b3\u03af\u03b6\u03bf\u03bc\u03b1\u03b9)\nis that which St. Paul uses: \"I _reckon_ that the sufferings of this\npresent time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall\nbe revealed in us\" (Rom. viii. 18). To St. Paul something of the\nfuture glory had been shown, and he had felt abundance of present\nsuffering. He had taken account of both sides, and could speak with\ncertainty. The brevity of St. Peter's letter could be supplemented by\nthe words of his messenger. For Silas himself was a prophet (Acts xv.\n32), and fitted to exhort and confirm the brethren.\n\n_Exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God: stand\nye fast therein._ The grace in its several stages has just been\nsummarised: the calling, the perfecting, stablishing, strengthening;\nand the whole letter is occupied in showing that at every advance God\nputs His servants to the test. But the Apostle knows that agents of\nthe adversary are busily scattering the tares of doubt and disbelief\nwhere God had sown His good seed. The wrestling is not against flesh\nand blood alone, but against the world-rulers of this darkness,\nagainst the spiritual host of wickedness. Hence the form of his\nexhortation: _Stand fast_.\n\n_She that is in Babylon, elect together with you, saluteth you; and so\ndoth Mark my son. Salute one another with a kiss of love._ It is most\nnatural to refer these words to a Church, and not to any individual.\nSome have interpreted them as an allusion to St. Peter's wife, whom,\nas we know from St. Paul (1 Cor. ix. 5), he sometimes had as a\ncompanion in his travels. But there is a degree of inappropriateness\nin speaking of a single person as elect along with these various\nChurches of Asia, whereas the Church in Babylon might fitly have such\na distinction. It is unnecessary, too, to explain Babylon (as some\nhave done) as intended for Rome. There was no conceivable reason in\nSt. Peter's day why, when he was writing to lands under Roman\ndominion, if he meant to speak of the city in Italy, he should not\ncall it by its real name. The Mark here named was most probably the\nJohn whose surname was Mark (Acts xii. 12), whose mother was a friend\nof St. Peter's from the earliest days of his apostolic labours. He,\ntoo, had been a companion of St. Paul for a time, and made another\nlink between the two great Apostles. St. Peter calls him \"son\" because\nit is likely that both the mother and her son were won to the new\nteaching by him, and he employs the term of affection just as St. Paul\ndoes of Timothy, his convert (1 Tim. i. 2, 18; 2 Tim. i. 2). The\nsalutation by a kiss is frequently mentioned. It is called \"a holy\nkiss\" (Rom. xvi. 16; 1 Cor. xvi. 20; 2 Cor. xiii. 12; 1 Thess. v. 26)\nin St. Paul's language. We find from Justin Martyr[12] that it had\ncome to be used in his day as part of the ceremonial preceding the\nHoly Communion. It was to be a token of perfect love, according to the\nname which St. Peter here gives it. An evil construction was soon put\nupon it by the enemies of the faith; and after a long history it fell\ninto disuse, even in the East, where such manner of salutation is more\ncommon than in the West. In his final words the Apostle has embodied\nthe benediction of which the kiss was meant to be the symbol.\n\n  [12] _Apol._ i. 65.\n\n_Peace be unto you all that are in Christ._ This is the bond which\nunites believers into one fellowship. To be in Christ is to be of the\nbrotherhood which has been so significantly marked just before for its\nunity. And in these last clauses we have examples of the force of the\ntie. Individuals are brought by it into close communion, as Peter\nhimself with Silas and with Mark, whom he speaks of in terms of family\nlove. To the Churches Silas is commended as a brother in the faith,\nwhich faith establishes a bond of strength between the distant\nChurches which have been called into it together. Well might the\nheathen, wonderstruck, exclaim, \"See how these Christians love one\nanother!\" And the Apostle's own words mark the all-embracing character\nof the love: _all that are in Christ_. They are all brethren, children\nof the common Father, inheritors of the same promises, pilgrims on the\nsame journey, sustained by the same hope, servants of the same Lord,\nand strengthened, guided, and enlightened by the one Spirit, who is\npromised to abide with Christ's Church for ever.\n\n\n\n\nTHE SECOND EPISTLE OF ST. PETER\n\n\n\n\nXIX\n\n_THE SAVING KNOWLEDGE OF GOD_\n\n     \"Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that\n     have obtained a like precious faith with us in the righteousness\n     of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be\n     multiplied in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing\n     that His Divine power hath granted unto us all things that\n     pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him\n     that called us by His own glory and virtue; whereby He hath\n     granted unto us His precious and exceeding great promises; that\n     through these ye may become partakers of the Divine nature,\n     having escaped from the corruption that is in the world by\n     lust.\"--2 PETER i. 1-4.\n\n\nIn the salutation of this second letter the Apostle describes himself\nin fuller form than in the first: _Simon Peter, a servant and apostle\nof Jesus Christ_. Some have seen in this description a testamentary\ncharacter, as though the Epistle contained his parting counsels. The\nwords form an epitome of his whole life. As Simon, son of Jonas, he\nlived his life in Judaism until Christ's call summoned him to be a\nfisher of men. \"Peter\" is the Christ-given name, which marked an\nadvance in spiritual illumination, an advance that fitted him to be\none of the chief heralds of God manifest in the flesh. As a servant\n(or rather, bondservant) of Jesus Christ, he stands on the same level\nwith those to whom he writes, though the service to which he has been\ncalled may be in character different from theirs. Jesus had said to\nthe twelve, and through them to the whole body of believers, \"One is\nyour Master, even the Christ. But he that is greatest among you shall\nbe your servant\" (Matt. xxiii. 10). And here comes forward that other\naspect of Christian service. The servants of Christ are, for His sake,\nservants to all the brotherhood (2 Cor. iv. 5). As an apostle he\nspeaks with authority, an authority greater than can be possessed by\nany future age. The solemn character of the office is stamped by\nChrist's words, \"As My Father sent Me, even so send I you\"; and the\nChurches are reminded, as they think of the apostolic office, that the\nLord who commissioned the twelve to be His servants said, \"He that\nheareth you heareth Me, and He that despiseth you despiseth Me.\"\n\nSt. Peter does not, as in his former letter, name the Churches to\nwhich he is writing; but afterwards (iii. 1) he states that this is\nhis second letter to them. We may therefore conclude that the same\npersons are addressed as before. Here he speaks of them as _them that\nhave obtained a like precious faith with us in the righteousness of\nour God and Saviour Jesus Christ_. Some have thought that here the\nApostle's words are specially addressed to those among the converts\nwho had been won from heathendom, and now were made partakers of the\nsame faith with himself and others who, like him, had been born Jews,\nand so heirs in part to God's precious promises. But, as he has just\nmade mention of his apostolic office, it seems easier to refer \"us\" to\nthe Apostles. If this be the sense, then--though in the allusion to\nhis office and authority they must have recognised the points wherein\nhis communing with Christ had made him to differ from them--these\nwords set forward that aspect of the Christian life wherein all the\nfaithful are equal. The graces, gifts, and opportunities which God\nbestows are according to men's power to improve them; but faith, in\nits saving efficacy and preciousness, is the same for every believer.\nAnd when he speaks of this faith as being in the righteousness of our\nGod and Saviour Jesus Christ, we see that he is thinking of\nrighteousness in that sense in which he uses the word afterwards in\nthis Epistle (iii. 13): as that perfect righteousness which belongs to\nthe new heavens and the new earth, and hence to God Himself.\n\nTo this righteousness each \"stranger and sojourner\" in the world is\nstriving to attain by faith, and by each exercise thereof he is raised\nnearer to his lofty aim. His faith, like the patriarch's of old, is\ncounted unto him for righteousness. The fruit of each man's faith will\nbe \u1f30\u03c3\u03cc\u03c4\u03b9\u03bc\u03bf\u03c2--\"alike precious\"--when the journey is ended.\nFor it will be salvation in the presence of the perfect righteousness.\nAs in the Saviour's parable the welcome was the same to him who had\nrightly used his two talents as to him who had done the like with\nfive, so each faithful servant of Christ, working righteousness\naccording to his power here, shall be called up into the joy of his\nLord. For the joys of heaven all will not have the same capacity; but\nfor each, according to his power to receive it, there will be fulness\nof joy. Nor should the word \"obtained\" pass unnoticed. It is the word\nused of Judas (Acts i. 17), who _obtained_ part of the apostolic\nministry on the call of Jesus. So here, too, the call into the faith\nis of God; and it is when men obey it that they progress in Divine\ngraces and go forward unto righteousness.\n\n_Grace to you and peace be multiplied in the knowledge of God and of\nJesus our Lord._ The first words are the same with the Apostle's\nprayer in the opening of the First Epistle. And to no stage of the\nChristian life can such a wish be inappropriate. To grow in grace, and\nso in peace, is the Christian's daily bread; and the thought of this\nseems to be uppermost in St. Peter's mind in this letter, that thus\nthe falling away, to which he sees the converts are likely to be\nexposed, may be counteracted. The danger was arising from the boastful\nparade of a knowledge (\u03b3\u03bd\u1ff6\u03c3\u03b9\u03c2) falsely so called (1 Tim. vi.\n20). Before this letter was written teachers had risen within the\nChurch who professed to have a deeper and more mysterious\ninterpretation of the doctrines of the Gospel. This esoteric\nenlightenment they specially named \"knowledge,\" and led men astray by\nprofitless inquiries concerning the absolute nature of God and the\nmanner of His communication with the world. To this teaching St. Paul\nis referring when he speaks of \"foolish questions\" and \"endless\ngenealogies,\" and it is this which St. Peter rebukes so vehemently in\nthe next chapter of this letter. As an antidote for the poison, he\nurges the converts to seek after a true and full knowledge (\u1f10\u03c0\u03af\u03b3\u03bd\u03c9\u03c3\u03b9\u03c2)\nof the Father and the Son. No single word can adequately\nrepresent this term, which became the watchword of all the Christian\nteachers. It is that knowledge of the truth which St. Paul so often\ncommends to Timothy (1 Tim. ii. 4; 2 Tim. iii. 7) and speaks of as\nthat acknowledging of the truth, allowing it to be effective on the\nlife, which follows repentance (2 Tim. ii. 25); it is specially the\nknowledge of God and of things Divine; it is that knowledge which must\ntemper religious zeal (Rom. x. 2) that it may be effective; it is the\nknowledge against which if a man sin (Heb. x. 26) he is verily\nreprobate. And this true knowledge can only come of faithful service.\nHe shall know the Lord who loves to do His will. Do the works, and ye\nshall know of the doctrine.\n\n_Seeing that His Divine power hath granted unto us all things that\npertain unto life and godliness._ The work, though great, becomes not\nimpossible; the dangers and difficulties, though abundant, are not\ninsurmountable. For it is not on us that the victory depends. God hath\nbegotten us again unto a lively hope through Christ's resurrection;\nand Christ has promised to be with His servants all the days, even\nunto the end of the world. There is a free gift of Divine power for\nall our needs, everything to foster the spiritual life and to guide\ninto the way of holiness. Wisdom will be given that we may understand\nGod's will and choose aright, strength to persevere in the midst of\ntrial, boldness to make confession of the Lord before men, and\nwatchfulness lest we, as did the teachers of error, wax overconfident.\nAll things are granted; all things may be ours.\n\n_Through the knowledge of Him that called us by His own glory and\nvirtue._ Here the same full knowledge (\u1f10\u03c0\u03af\u03b3\u03bd\u03c9\u03c3\u03b9\u03c2) of which\nthe Apostle has just been speaking is to become the channel of all our\nblessings: to know God, who has made Himself to be known through\nChrist Jesus. God's glory and virtue--that is, His Divine power--have\nbeen manifested in Him. The disciples beheld them in Christ's\nmiracles. \"This beginning of His signs did Jesus, ... and manifested\nHis glory; and His disciples believed on Him\" (John ii. 11), and of\nHis whole life St. John says, \"We beheld His glory, glory as of the\nonly-begotten from the Father. He dwelt among us full of grace and\ntruth\" (John i. 14). This is what St. Peter means by \"virtue.\" And\nstill in the hearts of men through the Spirit the same manifestation\nis given. He illumines them, to give the light of the knowledge of\nthe glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.\n\n_Whereby He hath granted unto us His precious and exceeding great\npromises._ In Christ God has offered men all the blessings of the new\ncovenant: repentance; faith; justification; eternal life. He, with the\nSon and the Spirit, comes unto the faithful and makes His abode with\nthem. Thus they are made members of Christ's mystical body. He dwells\nin their hearts by faith; He gives them power to become sons of God:\nthey are adopted of God, who sent His only-begotten Son into the world\nthat they might live through Him. These are the precious promises\ngranted, but not forced upon men, set forth in all their greatness in\nthe life and love of Jesus; and men are invited to choose them. And\nthe choice is made by patiently doing the will of God so far as it is\nrevealed to each man; after that we shall receive the promises (Heb.\nx. 36).\n\n_That through these ye may become partakers of the Divine nature._\nThis is the Divine scheme for man's restoration; this is the change of\nwhich St. Paul speaks to the Corinthians (2 Cor. ii. 18), and which he\nillustrates by the glorified face of Moses. The prophet was called up\ninto Mount Horeb, and drew near to the presence of Jehovah; the Lord\nspake with him face to face out of the midst of the fire, and his\ncountenance was illumined by the eternal glory. But the radiance was\nbestowed on Moses alone; the people might not draw near: and the glory\nshed on him was transient, so that he veiled his face lest the people\nshould mark its passing away. But since the manifestation of God in\nChrist all men may draw near, and be made partakers of unfading glory.\nIt is not with Zion as with Sinai. The way is open to all, nor will\nthe glory pass away from those who have been blessed with it. For now\nwe all, with unveiled face, reflect as a mirror the glory of the Lord,\nand, with progress in holiness, are transformed into the same image,\nas from the Lord the Spirit. Thus men _become_--for it is a gradual\nprocess--partakers of the Divine nature, and being drawn more near to\nGod while they live here, are fitted through His mercy, when the last\ncall comes, to go up higher and sit down at the marriage-supper of the\nLamb, their life having been a constant putting on of the wedding\ngarment.\n\n_Having escaped from the corruption that is in the world by lust._\nThis is the victory that overcometh the world, but it is a conquest\nwhich men cannot win unaided, nay, where the truest bravery, the\nsurest hope, is in speedy flight. Like Lot from Sodom must the\nChristian hasten away from the lusts of the world, casting no look\nbehind him, nor tarrying to dally with them for a moment. For the\nflesh is weak, and the prince of this world is mighty in his evil\ndomain, and, that he may lead men astray, will ofttimes transform\nhimself into an angel of light; and within the soul of man he has his\nconfederate powers, the cravings of this human nature, which thinks\nthe baits of the enemy are pleasant to the eyes, and it may be they\nlook fit to make one wise. And so in the eyes of the tempted ones, as\nin the eyes of the senseless bird of the Proverbs, the net seems\nspread in vain; in their own fancy they seem able to go on without\nbeing entangled, and Satan encourages the delusion. After that the\nstages are easy, but they are all downhill. Men first walk after their\nown lusts; then they are led by them, then obey them, and at last\nbecome their slaves. This is the corruption, the ruin, from which the\nChristian is aided to flee through seeking the glory of God as it is\nset before him in the Saviour's works and words. Drawn by these, he\nturns away his gaze from the world and its lusts; his eyes no longer\nbehold vanity to love it. He has begun to learn of Jesus, and every\nnew lesson makes him stronger in the faith; and by degrees he is\nenabled to bring forth into light, and bear witness to, the knowledge\nwhich he has gained of the glory of God as it shines in the face of\nJesus Christ. So not he alone, but those who behold his escape and\nmark his growth in grace, may give God the praise, saying, \"This hath\nGod wrought,\" for they shall perceive that it is His work.\n\n\n\n\nXX\n\n_WHO SHALL ASCEND INTO THE HILL OF THE LORD?_\n\n     \"Yea, and for this very cause adding on your part all diligence,\n     in your faith supply virtue; and in _your_ virtue knowledge; and\n     in _your_ knowledge temperance; and in _your_ temperance\n     patience; and in _your_ patience godliness; and in _your_\n     godliness love of the brethren; and in _your_ love of the\n     brethren love. For if these things are yours and abound, they\n     make you to be not idle nor unfruitful unto the knowledge of our\n     Lord Jesus Christ. For he that lacketh these things is blind,\n     seeing only what is near, having forgotten the cleansing from his\n     old sins. Wherefore, brethren, give the more diligence to make\n     your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye\n     shall never stumble: for thus shall be richly supplied unto you\n     the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour\n     Jesus Christ.\"--2 PETER i. 5-11.\n\n\nThe Apostle has just set forth in all their fulness the riches of\nDivine grace: the precious faith, followed by the bestowal of all\nhelps toward life and godliness, and with the large promises of God to\nrely on for the future, promises whereby those who seek to renounce\nthe things which are not of the Father, but of the world, may become\npartakers of the Divine nature. These blessings are assured, are in\nstore, but only for those who manifest a desire to receive them. How\nthis desire shall be shown, how it shall constantly grow stronger and\nbe ever fulfilling, until it attain perfect fruition in Christ's\neternal kingdom, is the next instruction. _Yea, and for this very\ncause adding on your part all diligence, in your faith supply\nvirtue._ The plenteousness of the Divine bounty is proclaimed that it\nmay evoke an earnest response from all who receive it. What shall I\nrender unto the Lord for all the benefits which He hath done, and is\ndoing, unto me? is to be the heart's cry of the feeblest of God's\nsaints. For the boundless ocean of grace asks that there should be\nmingled with it some drops of human duty. God will heal the bite of\nthe serpents in the wilderness, but to gain the blessing the wounded\nones, even in their suffering, must turn their eyes to the appointed\nsymbol of healing. Christ's power will cure ten lepers, but He first\nsends them away to do their little in the path of obedience: \"Go, show\nyourselves to the priest.\" Thus the Apostle's exhortation here,\n_Adding on your part all diligence_. The diligence of which he speaks\nis that sort of endeavour which springs from a sense of duty: an\nearnest zeal and will to accomplish whatever it finds to do; that does\nnot linger till some great work offers, but hastens to labour in the\nimmediate present. This is the spirit in which Christian advance will\nbe made. And the lines on which such progress will go he now describes\nas though each new step were evolved from, and were a natural\ndevelopment of, that which preceded it. The faith which the Christian\nholds fast is the gift of God, and it contains the germs of every\ngrace that can follow. These the believer is to foster with diligence.\n\nSt. Peter begins his scale of graces thus: _In your faith supply\nvirtue_. Here virtue means the best development of such power as a man\npossesses. It may be little or great, but in its kind it is to be made\nexcellent. And here it is that the Christian workers in every sphere\nmust surpass others. They work from a higher motive. What they do is\na constant attestation of their faith, is done as in God's sight, and\nin the confidence that in every act it is possible to give Him glory.\nThere can be no carelessness in such lives, for they are filled with a\nsense of responsibility, which is the first-fruit of a living faith.\nAnd in St. Peter's figurative word the believer is said to supply each\ngrace in turn because he contributes by his careful walk to wake it\ninto life, to make it active, and let it shine as a light before men.\n_And in your virtue knowledge_, he continues. For, with duty rightly\ndone, there comes illumination over the path of life: men understand\nmore of God's dealings, and hence bring their lives into closer\nharmony with His will. And we have Christ's own assurance, \"If any man\nwilleth to do His will, he shall know of the teaching\" (John vii. 17).\nAnd the same is true not only of the Lord's own lessons, but of all\nthe promptings of the Spirit in men's hearts. If they hearken to the\nvoice which whispers, \"This is the way,\" it will become at every stage\nplainer, and there will be shown to them not only the how, but the\nwherefore.\n\n_And in your knowledge temperance._ There is a knowledge which puffeth\nup, giving not humility, which is the fruit of true knowledge, but\nself-conceit. Of the evil effects thereof the Apostle knew much. Out\nof it grew extravagance in thought, and word, and action; and its\nmischief was threatening the infant Churches. Against it the\ntemperance which he commends is to be the safeguard, and it is a\nvirtue which can be manifested in all things. He who possesses it has\nconquered himself, and has won his way thus to stability of mind and\nconsistency of conduct. \"His heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord,\"\nand so he can go forward to the Apostle's next stage of the\nheavenward journey: _And in your temperance patience_. This is the\ntrue sequence of spiritual self-control. Life is sure to supply for\nthe godly man trials in abundance. But he is daily striving to die\nunto the world. The effort fixes his mind firmly on the Divine\npurposes, and lifts him above the circumstances of time. He is a\npilgrim and sojourner amidst them, but is in no bondage to them, nor\nwill he be moved, even by great afflictions, to waver in his trust. He\ncan look on, as seeing Him that is invisible, and can persevere\nwithout being unduly cast down.\n\n_And in your patience godliness._ The mystery of godliness--that is,\nGodlikeness--was made known by the Incarnation. The Son of God became\nman, that men might through Him be made sons of God. And godliness in\nthe present world is Christ made manifest in the lives of His\nservants. Toward this imitation of Christ the believer will aspire\nthrough his patience. He takes up the cross and bears it after his\nMaster, and thus begins his discipleship, of which the communion with\nChrist waxes more intimate day by day. Such was the godliness of St.\nPaul. It was because he had followed the Lord in all that He would\nhave him to do that the Apostle was bold to exhort the Corinthians,\n\"Be ye imitators of me;\" but he adds at once, \"as I am of Christ\" (1\nCor. xi. 1). And when he sends Timothy to recall his teaching to their\nminds he says, \"He shall put you in remembrance of my ways which are\nin Christ.\" By such a walk with Christ His servants are helped forward\ntowards the fulfilment of the two tables of the moral law, to which\nSt. Peter alludes in his next words: _And in your godliness love of\nthe brethren; and in your love of the brethren love_. The\nlast-named love (\u1f00\u03b3\u03ac\u03c0\u03b7) is that highest love, the love of\nGod to men, which is set up as the grand ideal towards which His\nservants are constantly to press forward; but from this the love of\nthe brethren cannot be severed, nay it must be made the stepping-stone\nunto it. For, as another Apostle says, \"he that loveth not his\nbrother, whom he hath seen, cannot love God, whom he hath not seen\" (1\nJohn iv. 20). But love of the brethren is not to be narrowed in the\nverse before us or elsewhere to love of those who are already known to\nthe Churches as brethren in the Lord. The Gospel of Christ knows no\nsuch limits. The commission of the Master was, \"Go ye forth into all\nthe world.\" All mankind are to be won for Him; all are embraced in the\nname of brethren. For if they be not so now, it is our bounden duty to\nendeavour that they shall be so. And in thus interpreting we have the\nmind of Christ with us, who came to seek and to save them that were\nlost, to die for the sins of the whole world, and who found His\nbrethren among every class who would hear His words and obey them. We\nhave with us, too, the acts of God Himself, who would have all men\ncome to the knowledge of the truth, and who, with impartial love,\nmaketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth His\nrain upon the just and the unjust, that thus even the evil and unjust\nmay be won to own His Fatherhood. Such Divine love is the end of the\ncommandment (1 Tim. i. 5), and terminates the list of those graces the\nsteps whereto St. Paul has more briefly indicated when he says the\nlove which is most like God's springs from a pure heart, a good\nconscience, and faith unfeigned. In this way shall men be borne upward\ninto the hill of the Lord.\n\nThe knowledge of Christ is a lesson in which we cannot be perfected\ntill we behold Him as He is, but yet through it from the first we\nreceive the earnest and pledge of all that is meant by life and\ngodliness, and the culture of the Divine gifts will yield a rich\nincrease of the same knowledge. _For if these things are yours and\nabound, they make you to be not idle nor unfruitful unto the knowledge\nof our Lord Jesus Christ._ Men in this life can draw nearer unto this\nfull knowledge, and the bliss of each new gain prompts to more zealous\nexertion. There can be no relaxation of effort, no remissness, in such\na quest. For hope is fostered by the constant experience of a\ndeepening knowledge, and receives continual pledges that the glory to\nbe revealed is far above what is already known. The enlightened vision\ngrows wider and ampler; and the path, which began in faith, shineth\nmore and more unto the perfect day. The world offers other lights to\nits votaries, but they lead only into darkness. _For he that lacketh\nthese things is blind, seeing only what is near, having forgotten the\ncleansing from his old sins._ He who has taken no heed to foster\nwithin him the light which is kindled by faith, and which can only be\nkept alive by the grace of the Divine Spirit, is blind, yea blind\nindeed, for he is self-blinded. He has quenched the inward light which\nwas of God's free gift, and made the light within him to be darkness,\na darkness, like Egypt's, which may be felt. Such a man has no insight\ninto the glories of the celestial vision, no joy of the widening\nprospect which captivates the gaze of the spiritual man. He can see\nonly things close at hand, and is as one bowed downward to the earth,\ngroping a dreary way, with neither hope nor exaltation at the end. For\nhe has forgotten--nay, St. Peter's words are stronger and very\nstriking--\u03bb\u03ae\u03b8\u03b7\u03bd \u03bb\u03b1\u03b2\u1f7c\u03bd--he has taken hold upon\nforgetfulness, made a deliberate choice of that course which\nobliterates all remembrance of God's initial gift of grace to cleanse\nhim from his old sins. Unmindful of this purification, he has admitted\ninto the dwelling where the Spirit of God would have made a home other\nspirits more wicked than those first cast out. They have entered in,\nand dwell there. There is a marked contrast between this expression\nand the word used for God's gift of faith (ver. 1). That a man\nreceives (\u03bb\u03b1\u03c7\u1f7c\u03bd) as the bounty of his Lord's love; and if\ntreasured and used, it proves itself the light of life for this world\nand the next. The wrong path he chooses for himself (\u03bb\u03b1\u03b2\u1f7c\u03bd),\nand its close is the blackness of the dark.\n\n_Wherefore, brethren, give the more diligence to make your calling and\nelection sure._ \"Wherefore, brethren\"--because such terrible blindness\nas this has fallen upon some, who left their first grace unimproved\nand allowed even the memory of it to fade away--do you give the more\ndiligence in your religious life. The true way to banish evil is to\nmultiply good, leaving neither room nor time for bad things to spread\nthemselves. When the peril of such things is round about you, it is no\ntime for relaxed effort. Your enemy never relaxes his. He is always\nactive, seeking whom he may devour, and employs not the day only, but\nthe night, when men sleep, to sow his tares. Let him find you ever\nwatchful, ever diligent to hold fast and make abundant the gifts which\nGod has already bestowed upon you. In the foreknowledge of the Father,\nyou are elect from the foundation of the world; and your call is\nattested by the injunction laid upon you, \"Ye shall be holy, for I am\nholy.\" Your inheritance is in store where nothing can assail it. God\nonly asks that you should manifest a wish, a longing, for His\nblessings; and He will pour them richly upon you. He has made you of\na loftier mould than the inanimate and irrational creation. The flower\nturns to the sun by a law which it cannot resist. From the Sun of\nrighteousness men can turn away. But the Father's will is that your\neyes should be set on the hope which He offers. Then of a certainty it\nwill be realised. Lift up your eyes to the eternal hills, for from\nthence your help will come. The promise is sure. Strive to keep your\nhope equally steadfast. For now you belong to the household of Christ;\nnow you are through Him children of the heavenly Father: to this\nsonship you are elect and have been called, and to it you shall attain\nif you hold fast your boldness and the glorying of your hope unto the\nend.\n\n_For if ye do these things, ye shall never stumble._ The way will be\nhard, and may be long, the obstacles in your path many and rugged,\nheaped up by the prince of this world to bar you from advancing and\nmake you faint-hearted; but down into the midst of the danger there\nshall shine from the Father of lights a ray which shall illumine the\ndarkness and make clear for you the steps in which you ought to tread,\nand the rod and staff of God's might will support and comfort you.\n\n_For thus shall be richly supplied unto you the entrance into the\neternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ._ In his first\nwords in this passage the Apostle exhorted the believers to supply\nsomething, as it were, of their own towards their spiritual\nadvancement; but when the demand was fully understood, behold God had\nmade ready the means for doing everything which was asked for! Within\nthe precious faith which He bestowed was enfolded the potentiality of\nevery other grace. There they lay, as seeds in a seed-plot. All that\nmen were bidden to do was to give them culture. Then God's Spirit\nwould operate as the generous sunshine, and cause each hidden power to\nunfold itself in its time and bloom into beauty and strength. In this\nverse the Divine assistance is more clearly promised. What men bestow\nshall be returned unto them manifold. Do your diligence, says the\nApostle, and there shall be supplied unto you from the rich stores of\nGod all that can help you forward in your heavenward journey. The\nkingdom of God shall begin for you while you are passing through this\npresent life. For it can be set up within you. It has been prepared\nfrom all eternity in heaven, and will be enjoyed in full fruition when\nthis life is ended. But it is a state, and not a place. The entrance\nthereto is opened here. The believer is beckoned into it; and with\nenraptured soul he enjoys through faith a foretaste of the things\nwhich eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor heart of man conceived,\nthe things which God has prepared for them that love Him. Over those\njoys Christ is King, but He is also the door; and those who enter\nthrough Him shall go in and out, and shall surely find pasture, even\nlife for evermore.\n\n\n\n\nXXI\n\n_THE VOICE HEARD IN THE HOLY MOUNT_\n\n     \"Wherefore I shall be ready always to put you in remembrance of\n     these things, though ye know them, and are established in the\n     truth which is with _you_. And I think it right, as long as I am\n     in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance;\n     knowing that the putting off of my tabernacle cometh swiftly,\n     even as our Lord Jesus Christ signified unto me. Yea, I will give\n     diligence that at every time ye may be able after my decease to\n     call these things to remembrance. For we did not follow cunningly\n     devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming\n     of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eye-witnesses of His\n     majesty. For He received from God the Father honour and glory,\n     when there came such a voice to Him from the excellent glory,\n     This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: and this voice\n     we _ourselves_ heard come out of heaven, when we were with Him in\n     the holy mount.\"--2 PETER i. 12-18.\n\n\nUp to this point the Apostle has spoken of God's abundant grace and\nthe consequent duties of believers. And he has set forth these duties\nin the most encouraging language. He has pictured first the gift of\nDivine power, and the precious promises of God, whereby men may be\nhelped to walk onward and upward; and when the labour is ended he has\npointed to the door of Christ's eternal kingdom, open to admit the\nsaint to His everlasting rest. Now he turns to describe the duty which\nhe feels to be laid upon himself, and faithful is he in the discharge\nthereof. \"Strengthen thy brethren,\" is constantly ringing in his ears.\n_Wherefore_, he says, _I shall be ready always to put you in_\n_remembrance of these things_. He dreads that taking hold of\nforgetfulness--that \u03bb\u03ae\u03b8\u03b7\u03bd \u03bb\u03b1\u03b2\u1f7c\u03bd--of which he has spoken\nbefore, and against which constant diligence is needed. So far as in\nhim lies, the perilous condition shall come upon none of them. The\nverb in the best texts expresses far more than that which is rendered\nin the Authorised Version, \"I will not be negligent.\" It implies a\nsense of duty and the intention of fulfilling it; it bears within it,\ntoo, the thought (which is strengthened by the word _always_) that\nthere may be need for such reminding, if not from internal weakness,\nyet by reason of external dangers. And to bring to the mind of the\nChurches the gracious bounty of God in Christ, and to set down the\nsteps whereby the graces bestowed should be fostered and increased, is\na subject worthy of an Apostle, a theme which no amount of exhortation\ncan exhaust, and one which ought to prompt the hearers to gratitude\nand obedience.\n\n_Though ye know them, and are established in the truth which is with\nyou._ Knowledge of things that pertain unto godliness is barren unless\nit be wrought out in the life. Yet knowledge and practice do not\nalways go hand in hand. This was one of the lessons taught by Jesus as\nHe washed the disciples' feet: \"If ye know these things, blessed are\nye if ye do them\" (John xiii. 17). St. Peter longs that the converts\nshould make this blessedness their own. His life's work is to watch\nfor them, that they be not remiss in doing. To none can such a duty\nmore peculiarly belong than to him who holds Christ's special\ncommission to feed the flock. By \"the truth which is with you\" the\nApostle appears to be alluding to the varying degrees of advancement\nwhich there must be among the members of the Churches. All have\ntravelled some way along the road which he has shown them; all have\nsome of the truth within their grasp. They have set their feet on the\npath, though they be planted with different degrees of firmness. What\nis needed for each and all is to press forward, not to rest in the\npresent, but to hasten to what lies beyond. For the truth of God is\ninexhaustible.\n\nPerhaps, too, he thought, as he spake of the truth present with them,\nthat he was of necessity absent and would soon be removed altogether,\nand the only way by which he could serve them was by his epistle. He\ncould never forget that among those to whom he was writing were the\nGalatians, over whose falling back from the truth St. Paul had so\ngreatly lamented: who had run well, but had fainted ere the course was\nover; who had received some truth to be present with them, even the\nfaith of the crucified Jesus, but had been beguiled into letting it\nslip. Thought of these things shapes his words as he writes, \"I shall\nbe ready _always_ to put you in remembrance.\" He rejoices that they\nare \"established,\" but yet sends them an admonition. Let him that\nthinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.\n\n_And I think it right._ The word marks the solemn estimate which the\nApostle takes of his duty. It is a just and righteous work. Danger is\nabroad, and he has been made one of Christ's shepherds. Many motives\nprompt him to write his words of counsel and warning. First, his love\nfor them as his brethren, some of them, perhaps, his children in\nChrist. Like St. Paul, he has them in his heart. Then, he will fulfil\nto the utmost the charge which the Lord gave him. He is conscious,\ntoo, that opportunities for the fulfilment of his trust will soon come\nto an end. _As long as I am in this tabernacle_, he says. It is but a\nfrail home, the body; and with St. Peter age was drawing on. He saw\nthat the time of his departure could not be far off, and this left no\nexcuse for remitting his admonitions. He must be urgent so long as he\ncan. _To stir you up by putting you in remembrance._ The work of the\nApostle will be thoroughly done (\u03b4\u03b9\u03b5\u03b3\u03b5\u03af\u03c1\u03b5\u03b9\u03bd), and be of that\nnature for which the Holy Ghost was promised to himself and his\nfellows. \"He shall bring to your remembrance all that I said unto you\"\n(John xiv. 26). Thus would St. Peter, like St. Paul, impart unto the\nconverts some spiritual gift, that he, with them, may be comforted,\nstrengthened, each by the other's faith. So he proceeds to dwell on\nthat Divine manifestation by which his own belief had been confirmed.\nAnd there would be memories of St. Paul's lessons also to call to\ntheir minds, and many of these would be awakened by an appeal like\nthis. The falling away of the Galatians had been from a different\ncause, but the memory of the past would warn, and might strengthen,\nthem all in the future against their new dangers.\n\n_Knowing that the putting off of my tabernacle cometh swiftly, even as\nour Lord Jesus Christ signified unto me._ Such a motive makes the\nappeal most touching. He will soon be removed. To this he looks\nforward without alarm. His concern is for them, not for himself. He\nregards his death as the stripping off of a dress: when its use is\npast it is parted with without regret. To him, as to his brother\nApostle, to die would be gain. But he must have had constantly in mind\nthe Master's prophecy, \"When thou art old, thou shalt stretch forth\nthine hands, and another shall gird thee and carry thee whither thou\nwouldest not\" (John xxi. 18). And in the word \"swiftly\" he no doubt\nalludes, not only to the old age in which the end would naturally\ncome, but also to some sharp stroke by which his departure would be\nbrought to pass. The stretching out of his hands would be a\npreliminary to the prison and the cross. In the Gospel it is said that\nChrist's words give the sign (\u03c3\u03b7\u03bc\u03ac\u03b9\u03bd\u03c9\u03bd), the indication, by\nwhat death he should die. The Apostle employs a stronger word (\u1f10\u03b4\u03ae\u03bb\u03c9\u03c3\u03b5)\nhere: \"made it evident.\" The English version renders both\nverbs by \"signify,\" but St. Peter's own expression marks how growing\nage had made clearer to him the manner in which his death should be\naccomplished. And the mention of Jesus brings vividly before him the\nthought of the scene he is about to describe, so vividly that some of\nthe language of the Transfiguration scene is reproduced by him.\n\n_Yea, I will give diligence that at every time ye may be able after my\ndecease to call these things to remembrance._ Jesus is related (Luke\nix. 31) to have conversed with Moses and Elias of His decease\n(\u1f14\u03be\u03bf\u03b4\u03bf\u03c2) which He should accomplish at Jerusalem. The word is rare\nin this sense, being commonly used, as in Heb. xi. 22, of the\n_departing_ of the children of Israel from Egypt. But it is deeply\nprinted in St. Peter's mind; and he, who looks forward to drinking of\nhis Master's cup and dying somewhere as He died, employs the same word\nconcerning his own end. And the word is another indication of the calm\nwith which he can look forward to his death. As with Christ, there is\nno reluctance, no shrinking. The change will be but a departure, a\npassing from one stage to another, the putting off the worn garment of\nmortality to be clothed upon by the robe which is from heaven.\n\nHis letters are the only means whereby he can speak after he has been\ntaken from them. Hence his earnestness in writing. \"I will give\ndiligence.\" I have urged diligence on you; I will apply the lesson to\nmyself, and make it possible that afterwards on every occasion you may\nhave it before you. When dead, he will yet speak to them; so that in\neach new trial, in each time of need, they may strengthen their faith\nor be warned of their danger. \"At every time,\" he says; and thus his\nstrengthening words of admonition are a legacy through the ages to the\nChurch for evermore.\n\n_For we did not follow cunningly devised fables._ Here the Apostle\nspeaks in the plural number, and it may well be that he means to\ninclude St. Paul with himself and James and John. For the evidence\nwhich converted that Apostle, though not the same as that vouchsafed\nto St. Peter, was of the same kind. The Lord had appeared unto him in\nthe way, had made His glory seen and felt, and fixed for ever in the\nApostle's heart the reality of His power and presence. His cry, \"Lord,\nwhat wilt Thou have me to do?\" came from a heart conquered and\nconvinced. He too followed no cunningly devised fable.\n\nBy the word (\u03c3\u03b5\u03c3\u03bf\u03c6\u03b9\u03c3\u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03bf) which is rendered \"cunningly\ndevised\" we are reminded of the (\u03c3\u03bf\u03c6\u03af\u03b1) wisdom which St.\nPaul so earnestly disclaims in his first letter to the Corinthians. \"I\ncame not with excellency of speech or of _wisdom_,\" he says; \"my\npreaching was not in persuasive words of _wisdom_, that your faith\nshould not stand in the _wisdom_ of men, but in the power of God.\" The\n_wisdmom_ which he speaks is not of this world, but God's _wisdom_ in\na mystery (1 Cor. ii. 1-7). St. Paul also warns against giving \"heed\nto fables, which minister questionings rather than a dispensation of\nGod which is in faith\" (1 Tim. i. 4; cf. also iv. 7 and 2 Tim. iv. 4).\nIn another place (Titus i. 14) he calls them \"Jewish fables,\" a name\nwhich is of the same import as the \"Jewish vanities\" of Ignatius,[13]\na name by which he intimates that they darken and confuse the mind.\nThe legends of the Talmud, the subtleties of the rabbinical teaching,\nand the allegorising interpretations of Philo are the delusions to\nwhich both the Apostles refer. The evidence on which they ask credence\nfor their teaching is of another kind. \"That which was from the\nbeginning,\" is the testimony of another Apostle, \"that which we heard,\nthat which we have seen with our eyes, that which we beheld, and our\nhands handled, concerning the word of life, ... that declare we unto\nyou also, that ye also may have fellowship with us\" (1 John i. 1-3).\nSt. Peter had seen, and so had St. Paul; and they constantly appealed\nto, and rested their teaching on, facts and the historic reality of\nChrist's life and work.\n\n  [13] _Ep. ad Magn. 8._\n\n_When we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus\nChrist._ This is the contrast to that mythic and allegorical teaching\nto which he has just alluded. From it men could derive neither help in\nthe present, nor hope for the future. It generated superstition, and\nits followers believed a lie. Often it denied the continuity of\nrevelation, and cast aside all the records thereof. Like theosophic\ndreams in every age, it was always unprofitable, nearly always\npernicious. On the other hand, the teaching of Christ's Apostles\nproclaimed a power which could save men from their sins, and imparted\na hope that stretched out beyond the present, looking for the time\nwhen the Lord would reappear. All power is given unto Christ. He is\nmade Redeemer and Lord, and is to be at last the Judge of men. The\nassurance of His coming had been proclaimed by St. Peter in his former\nletter as a consolation under affliction. Faith, tried by suffering,\nwill be found unto praise, and glory, and honour at the revelation of\nJesus Christ (1 Peter i. 7). This is the climax of the glad tidings of\nthe Gospel. But Christ comes to His people through all the days; and\nthey are conscious of His coming, and inspired thereby and enabled for\ntheir work.\n\n_But we were eye-witnesses of His majesty._ He has already (1 Peter\niii. 22) spoken of the fact of Christ's ascension; he is now about to\ndescribe what was seen on the holy mount. These things are facts and\nverities, and not fables. But yet there was more revealed in them than\neither eye could grasp, or tongue could tell. They were God's truth in\na mystery, which supplied new thought for a whole life-time. So for\n\"eye-witnesses\" the Apostle uses a word akin to that which twice over\nhe employs in the former Epistle (ii. 12; iii. 2) to describe the\neffect which Christian lives, when fully scanned, shall have upon the\nunbeliever. They shall have power to stop the mouths of opponents and\nto win them to the faith which before they maligned. Such deep insight\ninto the power, and work, and glory of Jesus was imparted to the\nApostles at the Transfiguration. They were initiated into the wisdom\nof God, and henceforth became prophets of the Incarnation; they were\nconvinced that the Jesus with whom they companied was very God\nmanifest in the flesh. The voice from heaven proclaimed it; it was\nattested by the glorified presence of Moses and Elijah, and by the\nmajesty which for a moment broke through the veil of Christ's flesh.\nLater on they saw Him risen from the dead, beheld His ascension into\nglory, and heard from the angels the promise of His return. Not\nwithout much meaning does the Apostle use a special pronoun\n(\u1f10\u03ba\u03b5\u03af\u03bd\u03bf\u03c5) as he dwells on this scene of His majesty. For he would\nimpress on his converts the identity of that Jesus whom he had known\nin the flesh with the very Son of God sent down from heaven.\n\n_For He received from God the Father honour and glory._ For the bright\ncloud which overshadowed them on the mountain-top was the visible\ntoken of the presence of God, as of old the cloud of glory had been,\nwhere God dwelt above the cherubim; while the honour and glory of\nJesus were manifested when He was proclaimed to be the very Son of\nGod. _When there came such a voice to Him from the excellent glory,\nThis is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased._ To express the\nmagnificence of the glory which he beheld, the Apostle uses a word not\nfound elsewhere in the New Testament. The Septuagint has it to\ndescribe the splendour of Jeshurun's God, who rideth in His\n_excellency_ on the skies (Deut. xxxiii. 26). And it is this outward\nbrightness of the shroud of the Godhead which tells all that human\npowers can receive of the majesty which it hides, just as His palace,\nthe heavens, declares constantly the glory of God.\n\nThe words spoken by the heavenly voice vary here from the records of\neach of the three Gospels. In one case the variation is slight, but\nthere is no precise agreement. Had the Epistle been the work of some\nforger of a later age than St. Peter's, we may rest assured that there\nwould have been complete accord with one Evangelist or the other.\nThere is a like diversity in the records of the words of the\ninscription above Christ's cross. Substantial truth, not verbal\npreciseness, is what the Evangelists sought to leave to the Church;\nand their fidelity is proved by nothing more powerfully than by the\ndiverse features of the Gospel narratives.\n\n_And this voice we ourselves heard come out of heaven, when we were\nwith Him in the holy mount._ We learn here why the Apostles were taken\nwith Jesus to witness His transfiguration. Just before that event we\nfind (Matt. xvi. 21; Mark viii. 31; Luke ix. 22) it recorded by each\nof the Synoptists that Jesus had begun to show unto His disciples how\nHe must suffer and die at Jerusalem. To Peter, who, as at other times,\nwas the mouthpiece of the rest, such a declaration was unacceptable;\nbut at his expression of displeasure he met the rebuke, \"Get thee\nbehind Me, Satan.\" He, and the rest with him, felt no doubt that such\na death as Jesus had spoken of would be, humanly speaking, the ruin of\ntheir hopes. What these hopes were they did not formulate, but we can\nlearn their character from some of their questionings. Now, on the top\nof Tabor, these three representatives of the apostolic band behold\nMoses and Elias appearing in glory, and Christ glorified more than\nthey; and the subject of which they spake was the very death of which\nthey had so disliked to hear: the decease which He was about to\naccomplish (\u03c0\u03bb\u03b7\u03c1\u03bf\u1fe6\u03bd) in Jerusalem (Luke ix. 31). The verb\nwhich the Evangelist uses tells of the fulfilment of a prescribed\ncourse, and thus St. Peter was taught, and the rest with him, to speak\nof that death afterwards as he does in his former letter. \"Christ was\nverily foreordained\" to this redeeming work \"before the foundation of\nthe world.\" They heard that He who was to die was the very Son of God.\nThe voice came from the glory of heaven; and from henceforth their\nhearts were still, even Peter's voice being less heard than before.\nDown from the mountain they brought much illumination, much solemn\npondering. We can feel why it was that \"they held their peace, and\ntold no man in those days any of the things which they had seen\"; we\ncan feel, too, that from henceforth the scene of this vision would be\nthe holy mount. God's voice had been heard there attesting the\nDivinity of their Lord and Master; the place whereon they had thus\nstood was for evermore holy ground.\n\n\n\n\nXXII\n\n_THE LAMP SHINING IN A DARK PLACE_\n\n     \"And we have the word of prophecy _made_ more sure; whereunto ye\n     do well that ye take heed, as unto a lamp shining in a dark\n     place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts:\n     knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of private\n     interpretation. For no prophecy ever came by the will of man: but\n     men spake from God, being moved by the Holy Ghost.\"--2 PETER i.\n     19-21.\n\n\nThe rendering of the first words in this passage must be reckoned\namong the distinct improvements of the Revised Version. As the\ntranslation stands in the Authorised Version, \"We have also a more\nsure word of prophecy,\" it conveys a sense which many must have found\nperplexing. The Apostle had just dwelt on the confirmation of faith,\nboth for himself and those to whom he preached, which was ministered\nby the vision of the glory of Jesus and by the proclamation of His\nDivinity by God's voice from heaven. Could any prophetic message vie\nin his estimate with the assurance of such a revelation? Now what St.\nPeter meant is made clear. _And we have the word of prophecy made more\nsure_--more sure because we have received the confirmation of all that\nthe prophets spake dimly and in figure. The Apostle and the rest of\nthe Jewish people had been trained in the ancient Scriptures, and\ngathered from them, some more and some less, light concerning God's\nscheme of salvation. There were, however, but few who had attained a\ntrue insight into what was revealed. They had dwelt, as a rule, too\nexclusively on all that spake of the glory of the promised Redeemer\nand of His coming to reign and to conquer. That there should be\nsuffering in His life, they had put out of sight, though the prophets\nhad foretold it; and so when Christ spake of His crucifixion, soon to\ncome to pass in Jerusalem, St. Peter exclaimed--and he had the\nfeelings of his nation with him--\"That be far from Thee.\" The voice on\nthe holy mount and the words of Moses and Elias had opened their eyes\nto the full drift of prophetic revelation; and by the illumination of\nthat scene of glory, where yet the lot of suffering was contemplated\nas near at hand, there had been given to them a grasp of the whole\nscope of prophecy, and their partial and distorted conception of the\nwork of Christ was banished for ever.\n\n_Whereunto ye do well that ye take heed._ The idea of a volume of New\nTestament Scriptures had not entered St. Peter's mind. He knows that\nSt. Paul's letters (iii. 15, 16) are read by some, who do not all\nprofit by the privilege; and his own letters he intends to be an\nabiding admonition to the Churches. The need, too, of a record of\nChrist's life and works, a gospel, must have begun to be felt. But yet\nhe points the converts to the ancient records of Israel as a guide to\ndirect their lives. They had heard the Gospel story from the lips of\nhimself and others. Thus they had the key to unlock what hitherto had\nseemed hard to understand, and could study their prophetic volume with\na new and perfect light. This he means by \"ye do well.\" Ye go to the\ntrue source of guidance, drink of the fountain of true wisdom, and\ngain strength and refreshment when it is much needed. Duly to take\nheed of these records is to search out their lessons and labour after\nthat deeper sense which is enshrined beneath the word. Given as they\nwere at various times and in various fashions, and given to point on\nto God's purposes in the future, these Scriptures must needs have been\ndark to those who first received them, nor could the men whom God\nchose to deliver them have been fully conscious of all they were meant\nto declare as the ages rolled on and brought their fulfilment nearer.\nNor are they all luminous even yet, but they grow ever more so to\nthose who take heed.\n\n_As unto a lamp shining in a dark place._ Spite of all the light we\ncan compass, the world will always be in one sense a dark place. It is\na world of beauty, full of the tokens of God's handiwork, the\nindications of His love. But evil has also made an entrance; and the\ntrail of the serpent is evident in the sorrow, the disease, the\nwickedness, that abound on every side. And problems continually\npresent themselves which even to the saints are hard to be solved.\nMany a psalm records the conflict which has to be passed through ere\nGod's ways can be reconciled to men. We must go into His house, draw\nnear to Him, feel to the full His Fatherhood, ere our hearts can be\ncontented. Nay, the disquiet breaks out again and again. So God, in\nHis mercy, has provided His lamp for those who will use it; and to\nthose who take heed it furnishes ever new light. The history, the\nprophecy, the devotion, the allegory, of the holy volume are all full\nof illustrations of the firm purpose of redemption, of the eternal,\nunchanging love of Jehovah, thwarted only by the perverseness of those\nwhom He is longing to save from their sins. And to call God's\nrevelation in His word a lamp is a striking and instructive figure.\nIt is something which you can take with you, and carry into the dark\nplaces whither your lot may send you, and use its light just where and\nwhen you need it. But its light must be fed by the constant oil of\ndiligent study, or its usefulness will not be found to the full.\n\nAnd the truth is the same if we apply the lesson to nations and\nChurches as it is for individuals. The records were given to a nation\nchosen to keep the knowledge of God alive in the world. The word\nspoken did not profit, as it was meant to do, because it was not mixed\nwith faith in them that heard it. And there is the same faith needed\nstill. The light of a lamp in a dark place shines but a little way;\nbut by the rays of the Divine lamp men are to walk, in faith that the\nsteps beyond will become clear in their turn. And thus alone will the\nproblems of life be really solved, the religious contentions, the\nsocial difficulties, the trials of family life, the individual doubts\nand fears: all are elements of darkness; all need to be illumined by\nthe lamp which God has provided. Oh that men would burnish it by\ndiligent heed, and keep its radiance at the full by constant seeking\nthereunto!\n\n_Until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts._ The day\nhas begun to dawn for those who will lift up their heads to its\nbreaking. The day-star from on high hath visited the earth in the\nperson of Christ, but the full day will not be till He returns again.\nYet His coming into the world was meant to lighten every man, and to\nwin all men to walk in His light. \"I, if I be lifted up, will draw all\nmen unto Me,\" is His own promise. And in that decease of which He\nspake with Moses and Elijah He has been lifted up. But He has left it\nto them that love Him to lift Him up constantly before the eyes of\nmen, to exalt Him by their lives; and our lax performances make the\nprogress of His _drawing all men_, to halt. We fail to make due use of\nthe lamp which He has put ready to our hand, and which only needs to\nbe grasped. The perfect day will not come to us in this life, but He\ngives to His faithful ones glimpses of the dawn. They learn the\npresence of the Sun of righteousness, though as yet they see Him only\nthrough the mists and darkness of life; and they are cheered with the\ncertainty of the coming day. And the daystar of the Spirit is kindled\nin the hearts of those who ask Him to dwell there; and they are led\nforward into greater and greater truth, into richer and fuller light.\nAnd for the same end the Spirit is promised to the Church of Christ:\nthat she may be enabled having used the lamp first given with all\nfaithfulness, to open to men the ways of God more fully, and, amid the\nchanges of times and varying vicissitudes and needs of men and\nnations, to prove that the only satisfaction to the soul is the\nincreasing knowledge of the oneness of God's purpose and eternity of\nHis love. To such a power she will be helped by giving heed to the\nlamp in every dark place and seeking in its light the elucidation of\nall hard questions.\n\n_Knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of private\ninterpretation._ The Greek words need to be taken account of before we\ncan gather the true meaning of this clause. That which is translated\n\"is\" is much more frequently rendered \"comes to pass,\" and bears the\nsense of \"arises,\" \"has its origin.\" \"Interpretation\" is the\ntranslation of a word which occurs here only in the New Testament, and\nimplies the \"loosing\" of what is complicated, the \"clearing\" of what\nis obscure. The lesson which the Apostle would give relates to the\nright appreciation of the Old Testament Scriptures, which contain the\nprophecy which he has called above \"the lamp in a dark place.\" He\nintends to say something which may incline men to follow its guidance.\nThe prophetic writings furnish us with illustrations how the problems\nwhich arose in the lives of the men of old time, both about events\naround them and also about the dispensations of Divine providence,\nfound their solution. Thus they furnish rules and principles for time\nto come; and that men may be induced to confide in their guidance is\nthe object of St. Peter's words. He bids the converts know that these\nunravellings and clearings of the ways of God are not men's private\ninterpretation of what they beheld. This was not the manner in which\nthey came to be known. They are not evolved out of human\nconsciousness, pondering on the facts of life and the ways of God, nor\nare they the individual exposition of those whom God employed as His\nprophets. They are messages and lessons which came from one and the\nsame impelling power, from one and the same illuminating influence,\neven from God Himself, and so are uniform in spirit and teaching from\nfirst to last; and He from whom and through whom they are given can\nsay by the mouth of the last of the prophetic body, \"I am Jehovah; I\nchange not\" (Mal. iii. 6).\n\nAlthough the Apostle uses in this Epistle the word \"Scriptures\" (iii.\n16) for the writings of New Testament teachers, it is not likely that\nhe in mind included them among the prophetic Scriptures of which he\nhere speaks. We, knowing the flood of light which the Gospels and\nEpistles pour upon the Old Testament, can now apply his words to them,\nfully perceiving that they are a true continuation of the Divine\nenlightenment, another spring from the same heavenly fountain.\n\nThose who would explain \"interpretation\" as the judgement which men\nnow exercise in the study and application of the words of Scripture\nforget the force of the verb (\u03b3\u03af\u03bd\u03b5\u03c4\u03b1\u03b9) \"comes to pass,\" and\nthat the Apostle is exalting the source and origin of the words of\nprophecy, that he may the more enforce his lesson, \"Ye do well to take\nheed to them.\"\n\n_For no prophecy ever came by the will of man._ Prophecy makes known\nwhat never could have entered into the mind or understanding of men,\nnor were the prophetic words that have come down to us written because\nmen wished to publish views and imaginations of their own. Man is not\nthe source of prophecy. That lay above and beyond the human penmen.\nNay, men could not, had they so willed, have spoken of the things\nthere written for the enlightenment of the ages. These are deep\nthings, belonging to the foreknowledge of God alone, by whom His Son\nwas foreknown as the Lamb without spot before the foundation of the\nworld. Of this the book of prophecy tells from first to last: of the\nseed of the woman to bruise the serpent's head; of the family from\nwhich a seed should come in whom all the earth should be blessed; of\nthe rod to spring from the stem of Jesse; of the king who was to rule\nin righteousness; of the time when the kingdom of the Lord's house\nshould be established on the top of the mountains, and all nations\nshould flow into it; of the day when all men should know the Lord from\nthe least to the greatest, when the earth should be full of the\nknowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. Such tidings came\nnot into the thoughts of men except as they were put there from the\nLord; and they tell of things yet to come that are beyond the grasp of\nmen unless they be spiritually-minded and enlightened. For not only\nare the prophetic Scriptures God's special gift: the insight into\ntheir full meaning comes also from Him. Beyond the physical sense it\nis true, \"The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord is the Maker of\nthem both\" (Prov. xx. 12).\n\n_But men spake from God, being moved by the Holy Ghost._ The\nAuthorised Version translates a text which had, \"_Holy_ men of God\nspake as they were moved by the _Holy_ Ghost.\" And this repetition of\nan adjective is after St. Peter's manner, though the oldest\nmanuscripts do not support it here. Compare the thrice-repeated\n\"righteous\" in the notice of Lot in the next chapter (ii. 7, 8). And\nthe Authorised Version describes most truly the agents whom God\nchooses. He will have none but holy men to be the heralds of His\ntruth. A Caiaphas may be constrained to utter His counsels, but as His\nprophets God takes the holy among men. These can grasp more of His\nteaching, and we receive more than we should through other channels.\nBy their zeal for holiness they are brought nearer unto God, and made\nmore receptive of the teaching of the Spirit, who Himself is holy. But\n\"men spake from God\" conveys a true idea of prophecy. Even one who was\nnot holy could feel that the power given to him was not his own, nor\ncould he speak after his own will. \"What the Lord saith unto me, that\nmust I speak,\" was the confession of Balaam, though his greed for gain\nprompted him to the opposite. And there are many expressions in the\nOld Testament which bear witness to the effective operation of God's\npower, as when we read of the Spirit of the Lord coming mightily upon\nthose whom He had chosen to do His bidding. And the same lesson is to\nbe found in St. Peter's words here. \"Being moved\" is literally \"being\ncarried.\" An impulse was given to them, and a power which was above\ntheir own. This is betokened, too, when the Old Testament prophets\ntell how the Spirit of the Lord carried them to this place or that,\nwhere a revelation was to be imparted which they should publish in His\nname. Thus were they moved by the Holy Ghost, and thus were they able\nto speak from God.\n\nSuch is St. Peter's lesson on the nature and office of prophecy. It is\nan illumination to which men could not have attained by any wisdom of\ntheir own, nay could not have framed the wish to attain unto it. For\nit lay hid among God's mysteries. It is imparted from the holy God to\nholy men, as His mediators to the less spiritual in the world; it has\nreceived abundant confirmation through the incarnation of the Son of\nGod, but yet it has many a lesson for mankind to ponder and seek to\ncomprehend. It is their wisdom who follow its guidance and bear it\nwith them as a lamp amid the dispensations of Providence, which still\nare not all clear, and amid the darkness which will often surround\nthem while they live here. That men may be prompted to its use, God is\na God that hideth Himself, yet through it He will lead those who\nfollow its light along the road to immortality.\n\n\n\n\nXXIII\n\n_THE LORD KNOWETH HOW TO DELIVER_\n\n     \"But there arose false prophets also among the people, as among\n     you also there shall be false teachers, who shall privily bring\n     in destructive heresies, denying even the Master that bought\n     them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall\n     follow their lascivious doings; by reason of whom the way of the\n     truth shall be evil spoken of. And in covetousness shall they\n     with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose sentence now\n     from of old lingereth not, and their destruction slumbereth not.\n     For if God spared not angels when they sinned, but cast them down\n     to hell, and committed them to pits of darkness, to be reserved\n     unto judgement; and spared not the ancient world, but preserved\n     Noah with seven others, a preacher of righteousness, when He\n     brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; and turning the\n     cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an\n     overthrow, having made them an example unto those that should\n     live ungodly; and delivered righteous Lot, sore distressed by the\n     lascivious life of the wicked (for that righteous man dwelling\n     among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed _his_ righteous soul\n     from day to day with _their_ lawless deeds): the Lord knoweth how\n     to deliver the godly out of temptation, and to keep the\n     unrighteous under punishment unto the day of judgement.\"--2 PETER\n     ii. 1-9.\n\n\nThis second chapter contains much more of a direct description of the\nheretical teaching and practices from which the converts were in\ndanger, and is full of warning and comfort, both alike drawn from that\nOld Testament prophecy to the light of which St. Peter has just been\nurging them to take heed. The chapter has many features and much of\nits language in common with the Epistle of St. Jude. But the opening\nof the chapter seems a suitable place to call attention to a\ndifference of motive which is manifested in this Epistle and in that.\nThey resemble one another greatly in the illustrations which they have\nin common, but St. Peter makes a twofold use of them: while showing\nthat the ungodly will assuredly be punished, he comforts the righteous\nwith the lesson that, be they ever so few, even as the eight who were\nsaved at the Deluge, or as Lot, with his diminished family, at the\noverthrow of Sodom, the Lord knows how to deliver His servants out of\ntrials. Of this latter side of the prophetic picture St. Jude shows us\nnothing. The evil-doings of the tempters must have waxed grosser in\nhis day, and he is only concerned to preach the certainty of their\ncondemnation. The unbelievers in the wilderness, the angels who\nsinned, the Cities of the Plain, the error of Balaam, and the\noverthrow of Korah are all cited in proof that the wicked shall not\nescape; but he has no word about the deliverance of those whose souls\nare tortured by the wicked doings of the sinners among whom it is\ntheir lot to live.\n\n_But there arose false prophets also among the people, as among you\nalso there shall be false teachers, who shall privily bring in\ndestructive heresies, denying even the Master that bought them,\nbringing upon themselves swift destruction._ It is as though the\nApostle would say, Be not unduly dismayed. The lamp of Old Testament\nprophecy shows that yours is a lot which has befallen others. As\nIsrael of old was God's people, so the Church of Christ is now. And\namong them again and again false prophets arose, not only those of\nBaal and Asherah, not only those who served the calves at Dan and\nBethel, but those who called themselves by Jehovah's name, and of\nwhom He says to Jeremiah, \"The prophets prophesy lies in My name; I\nsent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake I unto\nthem: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a\nthing of nought, and the deceit of their heart\" (Jer. xiv. 14). The\npicture is exactly repeated for these Asian Churches. False teaching\nhad attached itself to the true, used its language, and professed to\nbe at one with it, except in so far as it was superior. For the\nhistory of corruptions in the faith repeats itself, and--\n\n    \"Wherever God erects a house of prayer,\n    The devil always builds a chapel there.\"\n\nIt is the most perilous aspect of error when it parades itself as the\ntruest truth. Hence the name by which St. Peter calls this dangerous\nteaching: \"destructive heresies.\" They beguile unstable souls to their\nruin. Their exponents choose the name of Christ to call themselves by,\nbut cast aside the doctrine of the Cross both in its discipline for\ntheir lives, and as the altar of human redemption. And the men to whom\nSt. Peter alludes were either among the teachers, or put themselves\nforward to teach; and there was a danger lest their authority should\nbe recognised. They accepted Christ, but not as He loves to be\naccepted. He has called Himself Lord and Master, and has paid the\nprice which makes Him so; but by their interpretations both of His\nnature and His office these men in very deed renounced and deserted\nHis service, ignored their relation as His bondservants, and in this\nway denied the Master that bought them. Soon they chose other masters\nand became the slaves of the world and the flesh. Thus they entered on\nthe path that leads to destruction, and soon it will come upon them.\nThey who destroyed others shall themselves be destroyed. The lords\nwhom they serve have all their empire in this life; and when the end\nthereof comes, it comes all too soon, and is a dread overthrow of\neverything they have set store by. On their lot the lamp of prophecy\nsheds its light: \"How suddenly do they perish and come to a fearful\nend.\"\n\n_And many shall follow their lascivious doings; by reason of whom the\nway of the truth shall be evil spoken of._ St. Jude, who had seen the\nresults of such teaching, says these men turned the very grace of God\ninto lasciviousness; they perverted the teachings of the Gospel\nconcerning the freedom which is in Christ, and their phraseology they\nmade to have a Pauline ring about it. Did he not teach how Christ had\nmade men free? Had they not heard from him that men should cast off\ntrust in the bondage of the Law? In this wise they taught a doctrine\nof lawless self-indulgence, which they extolled as the token of entire\nemancipation and of a loftier nature on which the taint of sins could\nleave no defilement. In the blindness of their hearts, self-chosen\nblindness, of which they boasted as knowledge, they gave themselves\nover to the flesh, to work all uncleanness with greediness.\n\nSt. Peter knows that baits of this sort appeal to the natural man;\nthat there is within the citadel of the heart a traitorous weakness\nwhich is ready to betray it to the enemy. So, with prophetic\nforesight, he laments, Many shall follow after them. And such sinners\ndo not sin unto themselves: their falling away brings calamity on the\nwhole Church of Christ. It did so then; it does so still. The faithful\ncannot escape from the obloquy which is due to the faithless; and the\nworld, which cares little for Christ, will readily point to the evil\nlives which it sees in the renegade brethren, and draw the conclusion\nthat in secret the rest run to the same excess of riot. Evil-speaking\nof this kind became abundantly common in the first Christian\ncenturies, and furnishes the object of many Christian apologies.\n\n_And in covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of\nyou._ St. Paul in writing to Timothy gives a comment which throws much\nlight on these words. He tells of men who consent not to sound words,\neven the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, thus denying the Master that\nbought them. He speaks of them as bereft of the truth, supposing that\ngodliness is a way of gain; and he adds, \"They that desire to be rich\nfall into a temptation and a snare, and many foolish and hurtful\nlusts, such as drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of\nmoney is a root of all kinds of evil, which some reaching after have\nbeen led astray from the faith, and have pierced themselves through\nwith many sorrows\" (1 Tim. vi. 3-10). From the first days of the\nChurch's history we see, from the instances of Ananias and Sapphira,\nand of Simon, with his offer of money to the Apostles, that both among\nthe disciples and the would-be teachers covetousness made itself very\napparent. The communistic basis on which the society was constituted\nlent itself to the schemes of those who desired to make a gain of\ntheir Christian profession. In the time when St. Peter wrote the evil\nhad spread. Teachers were discovering that, by a modification or\nadaptation of the Christian language and doctrines, they could draw\nafter them many followers. These were the feigned words to which the\nApostle alludes, and the contributions of their satisfied hearers\nwere proving a gainful merchandise. The Gnostic teachers were of\nvarious sorts, but of all alike the language was boastful as coming of\nsuperior insight; great, swelling words they spake, having men's\npersons in regard because of the prospects of advantage. The evil was\na sore one, and is so wherever it finds entry. And later ages have\nalso known somewhat of its mischief. It is the wisdom of all Christian\ncommunities so to order themselves that their teachers and guides may\nbe safe from this temptation. For such teachers do not stop at small\nbeginnings of error, but prophesy smooth things, and close their eyes\nat evil; nay, in this case they seem to have encouraged sensual\nliving, as though it were an indication of the freedom of which they\nboasted.\n\n_Whose sentence now from of old lingereth not, and their destruction\nslumbereth not._ In thought the Apostle reads the book of prophecy. It\nis as if he said, \"It is written in the prophetic word.\" And when the\noverthrow of the sinners comes to pass, those who behold it may say,\n\"Thus is the prophecy fulfilled.\" The doom of such sinners is sure.\nThey may seem to live their lives with impunity for a while, as though\nGod's eternal law were inoperative; but the issue is certain. None\nsuch escape. God's mills grind slowly, but they grind exceeding small.\nAnd the lot of such men is destruction. Of illustrations the Apostle\nchooses three, applying each to a different vice of these teachers of\nerror. These men were proud; so were the angels that sinned, but their\npride was only a prelude to their fall. These men were disobedient; so\nwere the antediluvian sinners, and would neither hearken nor turn, and\nso the Flood came and swept them all away. These men were sensual; so\nwere the dwellers in the Cities of the Plain, and their overthrow\nremains still a memorial of God's wrath against such sinners. Verily\nthe sentence of all such men is written from of old.\n\n_For if God spared not angels when they sinned, but cast them down to\nhell, and committed them to pits of darkness, to be reserved unto\njudgement._ To each of the three instances which St. Peter adduces the\nreader is left to supply the unmistakable conclusion, \"Neither will He\nspare the sinners of to-day.\" The sentences are all the more solemn\nfrom their incompleteness. Some have thought that the reference in\nthis verse is to the narrative found in Gen. vi. 3; but that account\nis very full of difficulties, and there is no mention of a judgement\nupon those who offended. It seems more sound exposition to take the\nApostle's words as spoken of him concerning whom Christ has told us\n(John viii. 44) that he was a murderer from the beginning and stood\nnot in the truth, and of the condemnation of whose pride St. Paul\nspeaks to Timothy (1 Tim. iii. 6). For him and for his fellow-sinners\nthe Gospel teaches us (Matt. xxv. 41) that eternal fire was prepared,\nand an apostle (James ii. 19) says that \"the devils believe and\nshudder,\" it must be in apprehension of a coming judgement. All that\nSt. Peter here says is implied in these Scriptural allusions to Satan\nand his fall; and it is more prudent to apply to them the highly\nfigurative language of the Apostle here, which is exactly after his\nmanner, than to seek for fanciful interpretations of the Mosaic story.\nWe may rest assured by the way in which these things are spoken of,\nthough but dimly, by Christ and His Apostles, that they formed a\nportion of Jewish religious teaching and constituted part of the faith\nof St. Peter and his contemporaries, though there is but little\nmention of the fallen angels in the Old Testament.\n\n_And spared not the ancient world, but preserved Noah with seven\nothers, a preacher of righteousness, when He brought a flood upon the\nworld of the ungodly._ Here the Apostle points to a consolation for\nthe converts amid their trials. The ungodly do not escape, be their\nmultitude ever so great. A world full of sinners is involved in one\ncommon overthrow. Nor are the righteous forgotten, though their number\nbe but few. The lamp of prophecy sheds much light here. Amid all God's\ndispensations toward Israel, His faithful ones were the remnant only;\nbut these were saved by the grace of the Lord, they were brought out\nfrom the destruction, and not forsaken, and had a promise that they\nshould take root downward and bear fruit upward. The words in which\nSt. Peter describes the chief person of the few saved in the Deluge\nappear intended to point out that feature in Noah's history which most\nresembled the lot of the Asian Churches. They were now, as he was of\nold, God's heralds in the midst of a naughty world; and to bring to\ntheir minds the thought of his long-sustained opposition and mockery\ncould hardly fail to nerve them to stand fast. What lot could be more\ndesperate than the Patriarch's? For a hundred and twenty years by\naction and by word he published his message, and it fell on deaf ears;\nyet God was guarding him (\u1f10\u03c6\u03cd\u03bb\u03b1\u03be\u03b5\u03bd) through it all, and\nwords could not express more complete safety than when the early\nrecord tells us, ere the Flood came, \"The Lord shut him in.\"\n\n_And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned\nthem with an overthrow, having made them an example unto those that\nshould live ungodly._ These cities stood in a land fair enough to be\nlikened to the garden of the Lord. To Lot himself their fertile fields\nhad been a temptation, and by yielding thereto he brought on himself a\nplenitude of sorrow; and the sacred record counts his deliverance\nrather to the faith and righteousness of Abraham than to himself. God\nremembered Abraham, and brought Lot out of the overthrow. One of the\nfairest parts of His world God condemned for the wickedness of them\nthat inhabited it. Nature was defaced for man's sin, and still lies\ndesolate as a perpetual homily against such ungodly living as often\ncomes of wealth and fulness of bread. After such a state were these\nfalse teachers seeking while they made their gain of their disciples;\nand in the later times of which St. Jude speaks, having fostered all\nthat was carnal within and around them, in those things which they\nunderstood naturally, there they cast themselves away.\n\n_And delivered righteous Lot, sore distressed by the lascivious life\nof the wicked (for that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing\nand hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their\nlawless deeds)._ The thrice-named righteousness of Lot is perhaps thus\nset down because of the struggle which it must have been to maintain\nthe fear of Abraham's God among such sinful surroundings. Lot was in\nthe land of the enemy, and his deliverance is pictured as a very\nrescue: he was saved, yet so as by fire. He had gone down into the\nplain with thoughts of a life of abundance, and it may be of ease, a\ncontrast to the wandering life which he had hitherto shared with\nAbraham. Instead of this he found anguish and distress of mind, which\nno amount of temporal prosperity could alleviate; and to this would be\nadded self-reproach. It was of his own choice that he was dwelling\namong them. The Apostle paints his misery in the strongest terms. He\nwas distressed; and of the sights and sounds on every side, and never\nceasing, he made a torture to his soul. It was no mere offence to him\nthat these things were so: it was very anguish to see men setting at\ndefiance every law human and Divine. To behold the evils of a\nlascivious life waxing rampant in the midst of the Christian Churches,\nand countenanced by those who assumed the office of teachers, must\nhave been an agony to the faithful akin to that with which Lot\ntortured himself. St. Peter would strengthen the drooping hearts of\nthe brethren; and no greater comfort could there be found than this\nwhich he offers, taking the lamp of prophecy and shedding its rays of\nhope into the dark places of their lives.\n\n_The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation._ Already\nhe has given the lesson (i. 6) that true godliness must have its root\nin patience. It is a perfect trust, which rests securely on the\nFather's love, and willingly waits His time. The hearts of the\nfaithful ones must have found solace in the thought which he here\njoins to his former teaching. The trials they endure are grievous, but\n\"The Lord knows\" is an unfailing support. The floods of ungodliness\nmake His servants many a time afraid; but when they feel that there,\nas amid the raging ocean, the Lord ruleth, they are not overwhelmed.\nThey are protected by Omnipotence; and the tiny grains of sand, which\ncheck the fierce tide, are an emblem of how out of weakness He can\nordain strength. Hence there comes a knowledge to the struggling saint\nwhich makes him full of courage, whatever trials threaten. The world\nhas its wrathful Nebuchadnezzars, whose threats at times are as a\nfiery furnace; but he is proof against them all who can say and feel,\n\"The Lord knows.\" I am not careful nor disturbed; my God, in whom I\ntrust, is able to deliver me, and He will deliver me. The Lord knoweth\nthe way of the godly, and His knowledge means safety and eternal\ndeliverance.\n\n_And to keep the unrighteous under punishment unto the day of\njudgement._ The unrighteous--yes, over them too God keeps ward. They\ncannot hide themselves from Him, and through their conscience He makes\nlife a continuous chastisement. They may seem to men to walk on\nheedlessly, but they have hidden tortures of which their fellows can\ntake no count. Even the offender against human laws, who dreads that\nhis sin will be found out, carries in his bosom a constant scourge.\nFear hath torment (\u03ba\u03cc\u03bb\u03b1\u03c3\u03b9\u03bd \u1f14\u03c7\u03b5\u03b9), and this it is of which\nthe Apostle speaks. And if the dread of man's judgement can work\nterror, how much sorer must their alarm be who have the fiery\nindignation of the wrath of God in their thoughts and stinging their\nsoul. Such men are kept all their life long under punishment. Yet in\nthis constant anguish we trace God's mercy: He sends it that men may\nturn in time. His blows on the sinful heart are meant to be remedial;\nand those who disregard His chastisements to the last will go away,\nself-condemned, self-destroyed, despisers of Divine love, to a doom\nprepared, not for them, but for the devil and his angels.\n\n\n\n\nXXIV\n\n\"_BY THEIR FRUITS YE SHALL KNOW THEM_\"\n\n     \"But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of\n     defilement, and despise dominion. Daring, self-willed, they\n     tremble not to rail at dignities: whereas angels, though greater\n     in might and power, bring not a railing judgement against them\n     before the Lord. But these, as creatures without reason, born\n     mere animals to be taken and destroyed, railing in matters\n     whereof they are ignorant, shall in their destroying surely be\n     destroyed, suffering wrong as the hire of wrong-doing; _men_ that\n     count it pleasure to revel in the daytime, spots and blemishes,\n     revelling in their lovefeasts while they feast with you; having\n     eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; enticing\n     unsteadfast souls; having a heart exercised in covetousness;\n     children of cursing; forsaking the right way, they went astray\n     having followed the way of Balaam the _son_ of Beor, who loved\n     the hire of wrong-doing; but he was rebuked for his own\n     transgression: a dumb ass spake with man's voice and stayed the\n     madness of the prophet.\"--2 PETER ii. 10-16.\n\n\nThe Apostle now pictures in the darkest colours the evil-doing and\nevil character of those who are bringing into the Churches their\n\"sects of perdition,\" those wolves in sheep's clothing who are mixing\nthemselves, and are likely to make havoc, among the flock of Christ.\nHe hopes that thus the brethren, being forewarned, will also be\nforearmed. And not only does he describe these bold offenders: he also\nreiterates in many forms the certainty of their evil fate. They aim at\ndestroying others, and shall themselves meet destruction; their\nwrong-doing shall bring a recompense in kind upon their own heads.\nThey are a curse among the people, but the curse will also fall on\nthemselves; they are agents of ruin, and shall perish in the overthrow\nwhich they are devising.\n\n_But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of defilement,\nand despise dominion._ These chiefly--that is, above other\nsinners--does God keep under punishment. It cannot be otherwise, for\non them His chastisements have little effect. They have entered on a\nroad from which return is rare, neither do they take hold on the paths\nof life; their whole bent is for that which defileth, not only\ndefiling them, but spreading defilement on every side. They are\nrenegades, too, from the service of Christ; and having cast off their\nallegiance to Him, they make their lust their law. The verse describes\nthe same character in two aspects: those who walk after the flesh\nfollow no prompting but appetite, have no lord but self.\n\n_Daring, self-willed, they tremble not to rail at dignities._ The\nApostle passes on to describe another and more terrible manifestation\nof the lawlessness of these false teachers. They have so sunk\nthemselves in the grossness of material self-indulgence that they\nrevile and set at nought the spiritual world and the powers that exist\ntherein. In the term \"dignities\" the Apostle's thoughts are of the\nangels, against whom these sinners scruple not to utter their\nblasphemies. The good angels, the messengers from heaven to earth, the\nministering spirits sent forth to minister to those who shall be heirs\nof salvation, they are bold to deny; while concerning the evil angels,\nto whose temptations they have surrendered themselves, they scoff,\nrepresenting their lives as free and self-chosen, and at their own\ndisposal. The two terms \"daring,\" \"self-willed,\" seem to point\nrespectively to these two forms of blasphemy. They tremble not, they\ndare to deny the existence of the good, and they shrink not to mock at\nthe influence of the powers of evil. Thus in mind and thought they are\nas debased as in their bodies, and by their lessons they corrupt as\nmuch as by their acts.\n\n_Whereas angels, though greater in might and power, bring not a\nrailing judgement against them before the Lord._ The explanation of\nthis passage is not without difficulty, because of the indefiniteness\nof the words \"against them.\" To whom is reference here made? It can\nhardly be questioned that by \u03b4\u03cc\u03be\u03b1\u03b9, \"dignities,\" literally\n\"glories,\" in the previous verse the Apostle meant angels, the\ndignities of the spirit-world, in contradistinction to \u03ba\u03c5\u03c1\u03b9\u03cc\u03c4\u03b7\u03c2,\n\"dominion,\" in which he before referred to those earthly\nauthorities whom these false teachers set at nought. The verbs used in\nthe two clauses support this view. The dominion they venture to\ndespise, at the dignities they rail, whereas they ought to be afraid\nof them. Now even to the fallen angels there attaches a dignity by\nreason of their first estate. In the New Testament the chief of them\nis called by Christ Himself the \"prince of this world\" (John xiv. 30),\nand by St. Paul \"the prince of the power of the air\" (Eph. ii. 2); and\nhe has a sovereignty over those who shared his rebellion and his fall.\nHaving described the railing of the false teachers in the previous\nverse as directed alike against the evil angels and the good, it seems\npreferable here to take \"against them\" as applying to the evil angels.\nEven against them, though they must be conscious of their sin and\nrebellion against God, the good angels, who still abide in the\npresence of the Lord, bring no railing judgement, utter no reproach or\nupbraiding.\n\nThere may have been in St. Peter's thought that solemn scene depicted\nin Zech. iii., where, in the presence of the angel of the Lord, that\nhighest angel who is Jehovah's special representative, Joshua the\nhigh-priest appears, and at his right hand Satan standing to be his\nadversary, and to charge him, and the nation through him, with their\nremissness in the work of the restoration of God's temple. There the\nangel of the Lord, full of mercy, as Satan was full of hate, checked\nthe adversary's accusation, saying, \"The Lord rebuke thee, Satan.\" The\nsame application of the words \"against them\" is suggested by the\napocryphal illustration in St. Jude (ver. 9), where in the contention\nabout the body of Moses no greater rebuke is administered to the devil\nby the archangel Michael.\n\nThis exposition does not remove all difficulty. For as the angels in\nthe verse appear to be spoken of as superior in might and power to\nthese corrupt teachers, it seems natural at first sight to refer to\nthem the indefinite expression, and to explain that the angels, though\nthey be so exalted, bring no railing judgement before God against\nthese teachers and their evil doings. But from what Scripture tells us\nof the angels, it is not easy to understand how or why they should\nbring such a judgement. Nowhere is such an office assigned to, or\nexercised by, these spiritual beings, nor are we anywhere told that\nthe observance of the deeds of the wicked is in their province. They\nrejoice over one sinner that repenteth; they stand in God's presence\nas the representatives of spotless innocence; they are sent forth by\nGod as His messengers of judgement and of love; but we never find them\nas accusers of the wicked. That office Satan has taken for his own.\n\nBut the words which the Apostle uses seem hardly to make it necessary\nthat the comparison should be between angels and these teachers of\ndestruction. In the passage of Zechariah which we judge to have been\nin St. Peter's mind when he wrote, the angel is that mightiest spirit\namong the angelic host who is identified in the language of the\nprophet with Jehovah Himself; and the angel in St. Jude's illustration\nis the archangel Michael. Conceiving that by \"angels\" St. Peter\nintends these chief members of the celestial powers, the sentence may\nbe taken to mean that the most glorious beings among the angelic\nthrong, those who are greater in might and power than the \"dignities\"\nof whom he has spoken, bring no railing judgement even against the\nfallen angels, whereas these men presume to blaspheme beings of an\norder far above themselves. Such a conception of subordination in the\nspirit-world as is here suggested is not foreign to New Testament\nthought. St. Paul speaks of the angels in heaven as representing\n\"principality, power, might, and dominion\" (Eph. i. 21); and in the\nsame Epistle the evil angels are mentioned in like terms: \"the\nprincipalities, the powers, the world-rulers of this darkness\" (vi.\n12). Similar language is found also in Col. i. 16. Taking this view of\nSt. Peter's meaning, the daring and presumption of these false\nteachers are set in a stronger contrast. Whereas the highest angels,\nthose who stand first among the heavenly host and dwell in the\nimmediate presence of the Lord, though they might accuse Satan and his\nangels of rebellion, yet refrain; these bold transgressors among the\nrace of men cast forth their blasphemy against the whole spiritual\nworld.\n\n_But these, as creatures without reason, born mere animals to be\ntaken and destroyed, railing in matters whereof they are ignorant,\nshall in their destroying surely be destroyed._ The glory of man in\ncreation is his reason. It is bestowed that he may freely, and not by\nconstraint, consent unto the will of God, and also may by it\ndiscipline the body and hinder it from becoming his master. For the\nsoul tabernacling in the flesh there is ever this peril, and by it\nthese false teachers in the Asian Churches had been ensnared. Thus\nthey were degraded, and were frustrating the end for which the light\nof reason was given. They were become like the horse and mule, which\nhave no understanding. When the serpent tempted Eve, he set before her\nhis own elevation through the fruit which to her was forbidden.\n\n  \"I of brute human, ye of human gods,\"\n\nwas his tempting speech. These men had given themselves up for a less\nnoble bribe. The bait of sensual indulgence was offered, and their\nacceptance of it had brought them down to the level of creatures\nwithout reason. Their conduct and their lessons merited such a\ncomparison, and showed how their nobler part had been warped by\nexcess. To blaspheme against the powers of the spirit-world is conduct\nwhich can only be paralleled by that of the senseless animals, which,\nwith utter ignorance of consequences, will rush upon objects whose\nstrength they know not, and perish in their blind onslaught. But the\nbeasts were born to be taken and destroyed; no higher fate was in\ntheir power. Men were meant for a nobler end, and it is only when the\nrein is given to appetite that they become from human brutish in their\nknowledge, more brutish than to know. Thus in their ignorance they\nrail at all loftier thought, and of their railing make a show of\nknowledge. Here they are more noxious than the unreasoning brutes.\nTheir blinding lessons gain a hearing; and those who listen are drawn\non by the same lust, and willingly follow after ignorance. But the\nwork of all carries condemnation with it. Man, whose gaze was meant\never to be upward, is bowed down to earth like the beasts of the\nfield, which are meant only for capture and destruction. On such\nperversion God will surely visit. They shall reap the fruit of their\nbold self-will, and in the time of their visitation they shall perish.\n\n_Suffering wrong as the hire of wrong-doing._ The Authorised Version\ntranslates a somewhat different text (\u03ba\u03bf\u03bc\u03b9\u03bf\u03cd\u03bc\u03b5\u03bd\u03bf\u03b9), \"and\nshall receive the reward of wrong-doing.\" This is the easier sentence,\nand connects itself well with what precedes; but it has not the\nstrongest support. By the text which the Revised Version has adopted\n(\u1f00\u03b4\u03b9\u03ba\u03bf\u03cd\u03bc\u03b5\u03bd\u03bf\u03b9) the Apostle does not mean that these sinners\nmeet a punishment which they have not deserved, and in that sense\nsuffer wrong; but that they are themselves brought under the penalties\nof the wrong into which they are leading others. As the Psalmist says,\ntheir wickedness comes down on their own pate, and in the net which\nthey hid privily is their own foot taken. They differ from Balaam,\nwhose example St. Peter is soon about to instance. These men secure\nthe reward they seek, larger resources to squander on their lust; yet\nthis, their success, as they would call it, proves their overthrow.\n\n_Men that count it pleasure to revel in the daytime._ They that are\ndrunken are drunken in the night, and the same holds ordinarily of\nother excesses. They come not to the light because their deeds are\nevil. But these men have cast aside all such timorousness. They find\na zest in outrage and in going beyond others, so as to add the daytime\nto the night for their indulgences. The sense of \"luxury that lasts\nbut for a day,\" that is ephemeral, and perishes in the using, is\nhardly to be extracted from the Greek; but with St. James (v. 5) in\nmind, where the verb is connected with the noun of this verse, \"Ye\nhave lived delicately on the earth and taken your pleasure,\" it may\nperhaps be allowable, as some have done, to interpret \u1f10\u03bd \u1f21\u03bc\u03ad\u03c1\u03b1\nas signifying \"the time of this present life.\" The men live\nas though life were bestowed for no other object than their revelry.\n\n_Spots and blemishes._ St. Peter must have had in his thought the\nepithets which he applied to Christ: \"a lamb without blemish and\nwithout spot\" (1 Peter i. 9). Utterly alien to the spirit and life of\nJesus is these men's wantonness. They belong rather to him who is\ndescribed as a roaring lion, walking about to find whom he may devour.\n\n_Revelling in their lovefeasts while they feast with you._ Here also\nthe Revised Version accepts a text different from that rendered by the\nAuthorised, which for the first clause has \"sporting themselves with\ntheir own deceivings\" (\u1f00\u03c0\u03ac\u03c4\u03b1\u03b9\u03c2). This refers to \"the\nfeigned words\" with which they have been pictured as making a gain of\nthe unstable souls whom they lead astray. They find a sport in their\ndelusion, a pleasure, which is devilish, in the evil they are working.\nThe other reading, \u1f00\u03b3\u03ac\u03c0\u03b1\u03b9\u03c2, which is also found in Jude 12,\nrefers to those gatherings of the faithful in the earliest period of\nthe Church's history where the brethren by partaking in common of a\nsimple meal gave a symbol of Christian equality and love. It may be\nthat this in its origin was the assembling of the congregation for\n\"the breaking of bread,\" but we soon find the social meal had become a\ndistinct observance. And we know from St. Paul's letter to the Church\nof Corinth that disorder was introduced into these meetings, and that\nluxury and disparity ofttimes took the place of simplicity and\nequality. \"In your eating,\" says the Apostle, \"each one taketh before\nother his own supper, and one is hungry, and another is drunken....\nWhen ye come together tarry one for another\" (1 Cor. xi. 21). In these\nAsian congregations the evil had gone to a greater length. Instead of\na sober assembly, where friendly converse might form a fitting\naccompaniment to the more solemn breaking of bread in remembrance of\ntheir Lord, these lovefeasts were converted into a revel by the\nluxurious additions which the false teachers took care to have\nsupplied. The Apostle calls them _their_ lovefeasts, because it was\nfrom their conduct that the gathering took its character. The members\nof the Church were indeed invited, but these men made themselves\nleaders of the meal, and turned what was meant to be a simple repast\ninto a scene of riot and indulgence. But such excess only opens the\nfloodgates for more.\n\n_Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin._ These\npreachers of freedom from the restraints of the Law must make their\nevil liberty known, and so they shamelessly parade it even in the\nmeetings of the brethren. They cast about them their licentious\nglances, and their lustful gaze is unchecked. Nay, they have so given\nit rein that now it is beyond their control. Their eyes _cannot_ cease\nfrom sin. The original speaks of \"eyes full of an adulteress.\" By this\nunusual expression the Apostle seems to point to the danger that such\nconduct would meet with a response, that the sisters in the Church\nwould be beguiled and led to join hands with these teachers of\nlicence. With this we may compare the language addressed to the Church\nof Thyatira concerning \"the woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a\nprophetess, and teacheth and seduceth My servants to commit\nfornication\" (Rev. ii. 20).\n\n_Enticing unstedfast souls; having a heart exercised in covetousness;\nchildren of cursing._ A very pestilence must such men have been to the\nChurches. For there are always many to be found who are not\nestablished in the truth, though it be present with them, men whom the\nbait of a promised freedom, with its assumption of superiority, will\nalways catch. There is in it a witchery worse even than that which, in\nanother direction, had once before led the Galatians astray. Satan\nhimself offers the temptation, and finds allies within men's hearts to\nhelp his cause. It is only by those stedfast in the faith that he can\nbe withstood (1 Peter v. 9). They look beyond to-day, and to a\nbrighter, purer joy than any which he can offer. So they are safe.\nBut, alas! in the Churches such men are often but the remnant, and the\ntrade of the beguiler makes its gain in every age. And it was for\nmaterial gain these men were laying themselves out; and, that they\nmight be perfect in their craft, they had put themselves, as it were,\nto school, gone through a training. As was said of Israel in old time\n(Jer. xxii. 17), their eyes and their heart are but for their\ncovetousness, greed of defilement, and greed of gain. Children of\ncursing are they in a double sense: they are a curse to those whom\nthey lead astray; and in spite of the popularity which for a time they\nwill seem to enjoy, there is no blessing upon them. Their doom is\nforetold from of old. The lamp of God's prophecy makes it clear that\nsuch men are the children of Cain.\n\n_Forsaking the right way, they went astray, having followed the way of\nBalaam the son of Beor, who loved the hire of wrong-doing._ It is an\naggravation of wrong-doing when those who know the good willingly\nchoose the evil. Of such men there is little hope. To wander is their\nchoice; and as wrong paths are many, and the right but one, they\nbecome wanderers to the end. That the closing of their eyes was in\nthese teachers a self-chosen course we see from the example which St.\nPeter has chosen to illustrate their character. Balaam, however he\ngained his knowledge and however unworthy he was to possess it,\ncertainly knew much of Jehovah, and had been used to keep alive the\nknowledge of God among the heathen round about him; but his heart was\nnot whole with God. To be known as the prophet of the Lord was a\nreputation which he prized, but mainly, as it seems, for the credit it\ngave him among his fellows. When the chance came, he would fain\nendeavour to serve two masters. It has been for ever true, \"Ye cannot\nserve God and mammon\"; but Balaam resolved to try. He thought by\nimportunity to prevail with God for so much liberty of speech as would\ngain Balak's silver and gold. When his intention was thwarted, and his\nmouth was filled with blessings instead of curses, he still hankered\nafter Balak's honours and money, and wrought for Israel by his counsel\nthe curse which his lips were hindered from uttering.\n\nAnd these teachers of licence in the name of freedom moved among the\nChristian Churches as though they were true brethren. They used\nChristian phrases in their \"feigned words,\" yet were ready to lead\ntheir followers in a way as dissolute as that which the son of Beor\nsuggested to the Midianites (Num. xxxi. 16) that the children of\nIsrael might trespass against the Lord. For these men's hearts were\nset on the hire of wrong-doing. Yet their offence was even fouler than\nBalaam's, for to their lust and covetousness they added hypocrisy.\n\n_But he was rebuked for his own transgression: a dumb ass spake with\nman's voice and stayed the madness of the prophet._ The word which St.\nPeter here uses for \"rebuke\", and which is found nowhere else in the\nNew Testament, implies a rebuke administered by argument, a refutation\nsuch as reasonable persons will yield to. The dumb ass (St. Peter's\nword is literally _beast of burden_) appealed to her conduct all her\nlife through. Was I ever wont to do this unto thee? Should I do so now\nwithout good reason? The reason was made plain at the sight of the\nangel. That presence made the rider bow his head and fall on his face.\nBut what excuse was there for his lawlessness? For that is the sense\nwhich the Apostle puts on Balaam's transgression. And the word which\nhe adds makes the rebuke more strong. It was _his own_ transgression.\nThe swerving of the dumb beast was not of herself. She would have held\nto the right way had it been possible, but her master's lawlessness\nwas very madness; and he was the prophet, she the speechless brute. It\nhas been said, _Quem Deus vult perdere prius dementat_. But the\nproverb is not true. The destruction is not of God's will; the madness\ncomes of a self-chosen course of rebellion. Ever God's voice is, as it\nwas of old, \"It is thy destruction, O Israel, that thou art against\nMe, against thy help\" (Hos. xiii. 9). The ruin is self-destruction,\nan infatuation which will accept no remonstrance, brook no check. For\nthe warning voice of the dumb beast only hindered Balaam's evil\nproject for a brief moment; and though the Divine power which loosed\nthe tongue of the ass kept her master's in check, the maddening greed\nfor Balak's gold was in his heart, and at all costs would be\nsatisfied, and led him to destruction. Such is the penalty of those\nwho willingly desert the right way through love of the hire of\nwrong-doing. In forsaking God, they forsake the fountain of wisdom.\nThen their lawlessness degrades their human endowments to the level of\nthe brutish, and the obedient drudging of the dumb beasts of burden\nspeaks loud--for God gives it a tongue--against the mad errors of\nrebellious men.\n\n\n\n\nXXV\n\n_ALTOGETHER BECOME ABOMINABLE_\n\n     \"These are springs without water, and mists driven by a storm;\n     for whom the blackness of darkness hath been reserved. For,\n     uttering great swelling _words_ of vanity, they entice in the\n     lusts of the flesh, by lasciviousness, those who are just\n     escaping from them that live in error; promising them liberty,\n     while they themselves are bondservants of corruption; for of whom\n     a man is overcome, of the same is he also brought into bondage.\n     For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world\n     through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they\n     are again entangled therein and overcome, the last state is\n     become worse with them than the first. For it were better for\n     them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after\n     knowing it, to turn back from the holy commandment delivered unto\n     them. It has happened unto them according to the true proverb,\n     The dog turning to his own vomit again, and the sow that had\n     washed to wallowing in the mire.\"--2 PETER ii. 17-22.\n\n\nThe Apostle now describes these traitors to the cause of Christ under\nanother aspect. They proffer themselves as guides and teachers. As\nsuch they should be sources of refreshment and help. But in every\nrespect they belie the character which they have assumed. _These are\nsprings without water._ The blessing of a spring is only known to the\nfull in Eastern lands. Hence it is that in Bible language wells and\nfountains are constantly used as emblematic of happiness. When Israel\nis brought out of Egypt, their destination is described as \"a land of\nfountains.\" Mental and spiritual blessings are pictured by this\nfigure: \"The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life\" (Prov. x.\n11); \"The wellspring of wisdom is a flowing brook\" (Prov. xviii. 4).\nThe invitation which the prophet publishes in God's name runs, \"Ho,\nevery one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters\" (Isa. lv. 1); and the\ngracious promise is, \"With joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of\nsalvation\" (Isa. xii. 3). To those who had been accustomed to language\nof this sort St. Peter's words convey a picture of utter\ndisappointment. Where men had a right to expect that they would find\nbrightness and refreshment, where they were promised an oasis in the\nworld's desert, there proved to be only a delusive mirage; and for\nthis the brethren were beguiled to forsake the living waters which\nChrist has promised to His faithful ones. _And mists driven by a\nstorm._ Here the same thought is put into another shape. Mists,\nresting above the ground, play a part like that of the watersprings\nbeneath. They protect from scorching heat, and drop down blessing on\nthe thirsty land. But when they are chased away by the whirlwind, they\ncan furnish neither protection nor nourishment. And so helpless for\nthose who followed them were these apostles of licence. Like mists\nthey were, it is true, but only in their blinding influence. They\nbrought with them blasts of vain doctrine, in their craftiness, after\nthe wiles of error, and so created a desolation for those who sought\nunto them. We cannot help comparing this description with the\never-increasing illumination that flows from the lamp of prophecy,\nmaking the world's dark places light.\n\n_For whom the blackness of darkness hath been reserved._ Yes, for\nthese also God has a destiny in store. It is reserved, as is the\nincorruptible inheritance (1 Peter i. 4) which awaits His faithful\nones. But it is in those pits of darkness to which the rebellious\nangels were committed. Yet even in the Apostle's language there shines\nout somewhat of God's mercy. The sinner's doom is certain, but the\nblow has not yet fallen; the blackness of darkness is prepared, but\nwas not prepared for men. Only those fall into it who persist in their\nrebellion. For them, in the words of Christ, it will be the outer\ndarkness, where is the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.\n\n_For, uttering great swelling words of vanity, they entice in the\nlusts of the flesh, by lasciviousness, those who are just escaping\nfrom them that live in error._ St. Peter's words are here very aptly\nchosen to contrast the boastful pretensions of these corrupters with\nthe hollowness and delusion of all they promise. St. Jude (16) tells\nof the great swelling words, but does not add that further touch which\nproclaims their emptiness; St. Paul (1 Tim. i. 6) says that such men\nfall to their vain and boastful talking because they have swerved from\npurity of heart, from a good conscience, and from faith unfeigned.\nFrom such there is nothing to be expected but falseness and unreality;\nthey arrogate to themselves a penetration which others have not.\nTheirs it is to have found a deeper meaning in revelation, to have\nworked their way to a freedom beyond the rest, a freedom in the midst\nof sin, which imparts to those who attain to it a freedom to sin with\nimpunity. Thus do they entice in the lusts of the flesh by\nlasciviousness. Such a liberty suits the natural man; such guides find\nmany to follow them.\n\nTrue Christian freedom, the freedom of St. Paul, calls for constant\nwatchfulness, earnest anxiety at every step, for life is full of\ntreacherous roads. But forethought and carefulness are lacking for the\nmost part in those who have just escaped from the entanglements of\nerror. \"I buffet my body,\" was the Apostle's rule, \"and bring it into\nbondage\" (1 Cor. ix. 27). This was the discipline to free the soul.\nAnd to others he preaches in his letter to Timothy that \"the grace of\nGod hath appeared, bringing salvation to all men\" (2 Tim. ii. 11). But\nmark the pathway which leads to this life: \"Instructing us to the\nintent that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live\nsoberly, righteously, and godly in this present world.\" Such precepts\nthese men mocked at. There was a nobler knowledge, they said, a higher\ninitiation. To this they had attained; to this they beguiled their\nfollowers.\n\nSuch men are unspeakably dangerous to those who have made but little\nprogress in spiritual life. It is only those who, like Nehemiah of\nold, have become firm of purpose through prayer to the God of heaven,\nand know the dangers that everywhere beset them, that can withstand\nsuch temptation. As he laboured amid the ruins of Jerusalem, which he\nwas so zealous to restore, there came to him the invitation of the\nSamaritans, \"Come, let us meet together; ... let us take counsel\ntogether\" (Neh. vi.). No doubt the village in the plain of Ono, to\nwhich they asked him to come, was a pleasanter place just then than\nthe bare hill-top of Zion, with its desolation and ruins. But his\nheart misgave him at the words of such counsellors. \"They thought to\ndo me mischief.\" And his sturdy answer to the tempters is a pattern\nand a lesson for all time: \"I am doing a great work, so that I cannot\ncome down.\" For it is always to come _down_ that such counsellors\ninvite us, not to be afraid of putting ourselves on their level. They\nmay cloke it under the name of elevation, as these Asian tempters did.\nThey talk of this as liberty and power, just as the archfiend himself\nspake to the Saviour, tempting Him to a boastful display of His trust\nin His Father: \"Cast Thyself down.\" Those who fall fall in this way,\nby a too ready yielding to some acceptable bait; and then they find\nthemselves, not free, but prisoners. And the weak in the faith, those\nwho are only just escaped from error, are those from among whom the\ndeluders seek and find their victims.\n\n_Promising them liberty, while they themselves are bondservants of\ncorruption; for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he also\nbrought into bondage._ Here we have two views of the same persons.\nFirst their own picture. They proclaim their superiority in lofty\nterms. Satan and his servants have always been liberal with promises.\n\"Ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil,\" \"All these things will I\ngive Thee, if Thou wilt fall down and worship me,\" are sample speeches\nof the arch-tempter. And these men follow their master; but, says the\nApostle, they are themselves in the grossest slavery. He personifies\nDestruction as a power who holds them in her chains. And the idea sets\nsin before us in a terrible light. It begins in the single act, over\nwhich men fancy they have entire control; but the acts become a habit,\nand this, like a mighty, living power within men, but beyond their\nsway, overmasters their whole being, and drives them at its will. In\nthe case of these men, no faculty was free; their very eyes could not\ncease from sin.\n\n_For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through\nthe knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again\nentangled therein and overcome, the last state is become worse with\nthem than the first. Corruptio optimi pessima_ is a well-known and\nvery true dictum, and the Apostle sets these false teachers before us\nas a notable illustration of it. The backsliders, the renegades who\ndesert a good cause, are sure to exhibit intense hostility to the\nposition from which they have fallen away. They are constrained to do\nso that men may think they have a warrant for their conduct; and often\nthey have an uneasy conscience, which they must try to silence by\nlarge assertion of the rectitude and wisdom of what they do. Satan\nhimself is the great instance. The state from which by rebellion he\nfell was unspeakably glorious, a life in the presence of perfect\nholiness. Now he takes his pleasure in marring everything that is\nholy, in defiling God's world and filling it with pollution through\nthe sin which he has introduced.\n\nThese Asian backsliders had tasted the good grace of God. The Apostle\nspeaks of their knowledge of Christ as that true comprehension of His\nlove and mercy which draws men away from the world and its\nallurements. They had escaped and found a camp of refuge. But to take\nservice under Christ means to bear the cross, and to bear it\npatiently. Jesus puts His servants to the proof, and not all who have\nset their hands to the plough continue stedfast in their work till the\nharvest comes. They halt in the process of that growth of grace which\nSt. Peter describes in the first chapter of this letter. In their\ntemperance they should provide patience, endurance in well-doing.\nMany, however, persevere but for a little time; and the world seizes\nthe opportunity of their doubt and hesitation, comes forward with its\nallurements, and captures the weak in faith. And such were these men,\nand their capture was fatal. They were now in the toils of a net from\nwhich there was little chance of escape; they were overcome and made\nvery slaves. In their first efforts to walk with Christ they had been\nenabled to wrest themselves away from their evil life; but now they\nwere sunk down, overpowered, and blind, with a blindness the more\nterrible because they had known what it was to have sight. Their last\nstate was unspeakably worse than the first.\n\nSt. Peter has in mind the parable of his Master (Matt. xii.; Luke xi.)\nwhich was spoken prophetically of the Jewish people. There Christ\ntells of the evil spirit which has been cast out, but no attempt made\nto fill his place with a better tenant. Soon finding no rest, he\nreturns, and beholds his former home swept, and garnished, and\nunoccupied. Then he goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked\nthan himself, who enter with him and dwell there. With what solemn\nmeaning come those words which follow the parable, \"Blessed are they\nthat hear the word of God and _keep_ it!\" (Luke xi. 28). To have\nheard, and not to have kept, indeed makes the last state worse than\nthe first.\n\n_For it were better for them not to have known the way of\nrighteousness, than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy\ncommandment delivered unto them._ These words of the Apostle point out\nthe fear and care which should possess the hearts of those whom God\nblesses with large opportunities: fear lest they receive them amiss\nand fail to value them; care lest they pervert them to a wrong use.\nOur Lord's own words form the mightiest homily thereon when He spake\nto those cities of Galilee upon whom a great light was shining as He\ndwelt in their midst, but He could not do His mighty works there\nbecause of their unbelief. \"He came unto His own, and His own received\nHim not.\" Hence the solemn denunciations of woe upon them: \"It shall\nbe more tolerable in the judgement for Tyre and Sidon, for Sodom and\nGomorrah, than for them\"; \"The queen of the south shall rise up in\nthe judgement against them and condemn.\" And more sorrowfully still He\nspeaks to Jerusalem: \"If thou hadst known in this thy day the things\nthat belong unto thy peace, but now they are hid from thine eyes.\"\n\nChrist went away unto the Father, but He left the Apostles their\ncommission to teach the way of righteousness as He had taught it.\n\"Teach them,\" He says, \"to observe all things whatsoever I have told\nyou; and lo, I am with you always.\" By the ministrations of St. Paul\nand his fellow-labourers the feet of these Asian converts had been set\nin the right way. They had made a profession of faith in Christ's\nsacrifice, and thus had been reckoned among the righteous, among those\ncalled to be saints. But the journey unto righteousness is made by\ndaily steps in keeping God's law; and if these be not taken, the road\nmay lie open, the traveller may see it, but he comes no nearer to the\ngoal. Nay, in this road there is no standing still. They who fail to\npress forward inevitably slide back. It was here that these false\nteachers had failed. The command of God checked their evil appetites\nand greed; and so they set it at defiance and turned aside, and taught\ntheir deluded followers that God's freedom in its highest sense meant\na licence to sin.\n\nHere one of the Apostle's words is very significant. He says, not holy\ncommandments, but holy commandment, telling us thus that the Divine\nlaw is all comprehended in the right ordering of the heart. In\nprinciple all God's laws are one. If that inward source of all our\nright and wrong be kept pure, from it are the issues of life; and\nevery action flowing from it will then have a righteous aim. Thus men\nlead holy lives; thus they keep God's commandments in every relation.\nThey do not in this life become free from offence; they stumble,\nbecause they are compassed by infirmity. But they act from a right\nmotive; and this, and not the sum-total of results, is what the loving\nFather of men regards. Thus the Divine law is the law of true freedom,\nsupplying a principle, but leaving the particular actions to develop\naccording to the circumstances of each man's life. This is the freedom\nof which the Psalmist sings: \"I will walk at liberty, for I seek Thy\nprecepts\" (Psalm cxix. 45); and one of our own poets extols a life so\nordered by Divine law as the truest, grandest freedom:--\n\n    \"Obedience is greater than freedom. What's free?\n    The vexed straw on the wind, the tossed foam on the sea;\n    The great ocean itself, as it rolls and it swells,\n    In the bonds of a boundless obedience dwells.\"\n\n_It has happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog\nturning to his own vomit again, and the sow that had washed to\nwallowing in the mire._ To describe in all its horror the abysmal\ndepth to which these false teachers have sunk, the Apostle makes use\nof two proverbs, one of which he adapts from the Old Testament (Prov.\nxxvi. 11), while the other is one which would impress the Jewish mind\nwith a feeling of utter abomination. The dogs of the East are the\npariahs of the animal world, while everything pertaining to swine was\ndetestable in the eyes of the Israelite. But all the loathing which\nattached to these outcasts of the brute creation did not suffice to\nportray the defilement of these teachers of lies and their apostate\nlives. It needed those other grosser features--the return to the\ndisgorged meal; the greed for filth, where a temporary cleansing\nserves, as it were, to give a relish for fresh wallowing--these\ntraits were needed ere the full vileness of those sinners could be\nexpressed.\n\nSolomon spake his proverb of the fool who goes back to his folly; but\nof how much grosser lapse is he guilty who, having known the mercy of\nChrist, having tasted the Father's grace, having been illumined by the\nHoly Spirit, turns again to the world and its pollutions, goes back\ninto the far country, far away from God, and chooses again for his\nfood the husks that the swine did eat!\n\n\n\n\nXXVI\n\n_AS WERE THE DAYS OF NOAH_\n\n     \"This is now, beloved, the second epistle that I write unto you;\n     and in both of them I stir up your sincere mind by putting you in\n     remembrance; that ye should remember the words which were spoken\n     before by the holy prophets, and the commandment of the Lord and\n     Saviour through your apostles; knowing this first, that in the\n     last days mockers shall come with mockery, walking after their\n     own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of His coming? for,\n     from the day that the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as\n     they were from the beginning of the creation.\"--2 PETER iii. 1-4.\n\n\nIn the previous chapter the Apostle showed how the renegade false\nteachers had published among the brethren their seductive doctrine,\ndeclaring that God's fatherly discipline was something which they need\nnot undergo, that the trials which He sent them might be escaped, and\nthe natural bent of man's heart indulged as fully as they pleased. The\nfoul results of such lessons both to the flock and to the teachers he\nalso depicted in such wise as to render them abhorrent. Now he tells\nof a further lesson which these guides on the downward road added to\nthe former. Those who do not accept God's judgements here soon go on\nto deny the coming of judgement hereafter. It could hardly be\notherwise. The wish is father to the thought as truly in matters of\nfaith as of practice. Men whose lives are all centred on this world\nmust try and convince themselves, if possible, that the day of the\nLord, of which God's word speaks so often, is a delusion, and may be\ncast out of their thoughts. This these men did, and it is against this\nscoffing of theirs that St. Peter directs his exhortation in this\nchapter.\n\n_This is now, beloved, the second epistle that I write unto you._\nJudging from the adverb which he uses (\u1f24\u03b4\u03b7, now, already),\nwe should conclude that no long time had elapsed between the Apostle's\nfirst letter and the second. And by calling this the second, he shows\nthat it is intended for the same congregations as the former, though\nhe has not named them in the salutation with which the letter opens.\nAforetime they had been tried by inward questionings, and he sent them\nhis exhortation and testimony that, spite of all their trials, this\nwas the true grace of God which they had received, and therein they\nshould stand fast (1 Peter v. 12). Now the danger is from without:\nfalse doctrine and evil living as its consequence. So, though he may\nhave written but a little while ago, he will neither spare himself,\nnor neglect them. For the danger is of the utmost gravity. It\nthreatens the overthrow of all true Christian life.\n\n_And in both of them I stir up your sincere mind by putting you in\nremembrance._ Mark how trustfully he appeals to the sincerity of the\nminds of the brethren, just as before (i. 12) he said they knew the\nthings of which he was putting them in remembrance, and were\nestablished in the truth which they had received. And what he means by\nthe \"mind\" we may see from 1 Peter i. 13, where he uses the same word:\n\"Gird up the loins of your mind\"--do not indulge vain, lax, and\nspeculative opinions, as though these would forward you in your travel\nthrough the world--\"be sober, and set your hope perfectly on the\ngrace that is to be brought unto you.\" A mind so braced looks onward\nto the revelation of Jesus Christ, looks for every token of its\ndrawing nigh. And because it is sincere, the man dare look into its\ninmost recesses, and by self-examination and discipline maintain its\npurity. He can think soberly of the Lord's coming because he is\npreparing for it. But he whose mind is dark, within whom the light has\nbeen turned into darkness, dare not think on these things, but with\nall his might endeavours to forget, ignore, and deny them. All that\nSt. Peter thinks needful for these Asian brethren is that he should\nremind them. He knows that men's minds are prone to slumber,\nespecially about the things unseen as yet; and his aim is to rouse\nthem to thorough vigilance. But he has no new lesson to give them.\n\n_That ye should remember the words which were spoken before by the\nholy prophets._ On few themes do the prophets dwell more earnestly\nthan on those visitations of Jehovah which they publish as the coming\nof the day of the Lord. With Joel (ii. 11, 32) it is to be a time\ngreat and terrible, the prospect of which is to move men to\nrepentance, for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall\nbe delivered. And Israel were taught in many ways that this great day\nwas constantly at hand. They were pointed to it by Isaiah (xiii. 6)\nwhen the overthrow of Babylon was foretold. For that nation the day of\nthe Lord was coming as destruction from the Almighty. Jeremiah (xlvi.\n10) and Ezekiel (xxx. 3) preach the same lesson, with the ruin of\nEgypt for their text. It is a day of vengeance, when the Lord God of\nhosts will avenge Him of His adversaries, a day of clouds, in which a\nsword shall come upon Egypt, and her foundations shall be broken\ndown. By what they beheld around them God's people were to learn that\na like day would come upon them also, upon everything that was high\nand lifted up against God; and for those who were unprepared another\nprophet (Amos v. 18) declared that it would be darkness, and not\nlight. Before its coming, therefore, they were urged (Zeph. ii. 3) to\nturn to the Lord, that they might be hid in the day of His anger. For\nGod designed by it to make Himself King of all the earth (Zech. xiv.\n9), wherefore it would be great and terrible. For though Elijah should\nfirst be sent (Mal. iv. 5) to turn the hearts of the fathers to their\nchildren and the hearts of the children to their fathers, in its\nmanifestation that day should still be like a refiner's fire to purge\nthe evil from among the good.\n\nNot without solemn purpose were all these words written aforetime, and\nthe Christian preachers who felt that God was faithful were sure that\nsuch a day would come upon all the earth. How it would be manifested\nwas for God, and not for them. Some of those who lived when St. Peter\nwrote beheld part of its accomplishment in the overthrow of the Holy\nCity. But they felt--and their lesson is one for all time--that it is\npresumptuous in men to compute God's days, and that it is rebellious\nblindness not to acknowledge the coming of His day continually in the\ngreat crises of history. How many a time since St. Peter spoke has the\nLord proclaimed by partial judgements the certainty of that which\nshall come at the last. The day of the Lord is attested when empires\nfall, when hordes of barbarians break in upon the civilised world that\nhas grown careless of God, when convulsions rage like those which\npreceded the Reformation and which shook Europe at the French\nRevolution, and we may add to these the troubles which harass our own\nland to-day. All these things preach the same doctrine; all proclaim\nthat verily there is a God that judgeth the earth. Not yet is the\nvoice of prophecy silent. Oh that men would but remember how long and\nhow surely it has been speaking!\n\n_And the commandment of the Lord and Saviour through your apostles._\nIn connexion with the subject on which he is writing, the commandment\nof Jesus to which St. Peter alludes can hardly be other than that\nwhich occurs in the address of our Lord to His disciples after His\nlast visit to the Temple: \"Watch therefore, for ye know not on what\nday your Lord cometh; ... therefore be ready, for in an hour that ye\nthink not the Son of man cometh\" (Matt. xxiv. 42). And with the last\njudgement in his thoughts, we cannot fail to be struck with the\nfrequency with which the Apostle in this letter repeats as the title\nof Christ \"the Lord and Saviour\" (i. 11; ii. 20; iii. 2, 18). This\nprecise form occurs in no other part of the New testament. And it\nseems from the Apostle's use of it as though, while speaking of the\ncertainty of the coming of the day of the Lord, he desired to give\nspecial prominence to the thought that to such as were looking for Him\nHe would manifest Himself as the Saviour and Redeemer.\n\nThe words \"your apostles\" also appear to be used with design. They\ncontain a direct acknowledgment of the mission of St. Paul as an\napostle. By him more than by any other had these regions been brought\nto the knowledge of Christ, and we may rest confident that the gospel\nwhich he preached elsewhere he preached to them also. The lesson of\nwatchfulness is oft repeated in his letters. To the Corinthians he\nwrites, \"Watch ye; stand fast in the faith; quit you like men; be\nstrong\" (1 Cor. xvi. 13), while, in connexion with this subject of the\nday of the Lord, his words to the Thessalonians are, \"Ye yourselves\nknow perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the\nnight.... But ye are not in darkness, that that day should overtake\nyou as a thief. Let us watch and be sober\" (1 Thess. v. 2-6). St.\nPeter's letter was to be read in those Galatian Churches whose members\nin past days had doubted about the apostolate of St. Paul. Its\nwarnings would sink the deeper because enforced by the authority of\nhim who even in his rebukes had spoken to them as his \"little\nchildren\" (Gal. iv. 19).\n\n_Knowing this first, that in the last days mockers shall come with\nmockery._ St. Peter says the mockers will come; Polycarp[14] says in\nhis day they had come. He terms them the first-born of Satan, and\ntells how they pervert the oracles of the Lord to their own lusts and\ndeny that there is either resurrection or judgement. The signs of the\ntimes were not difficult to read; and the Apostle would have the\nbrethren know what to look for, know in such wise that they should not\nbe shaken in mind by what they saw or heard. For this the first need\nwas Christian sobriety. Thus settled, they could ponder on the words\nof ancient prophecy and recall the lessons of those who had spoken to\nthem in the name of Christ; and therewith their hearts might take\ncomfort, and their heads be lifted up with expectation, knowing the\nlast days were bringing their redemption nearer. The mockery of the\nsinners would keep no bounds. This he expresses by his emphatic\nwords, just as largeness of blessing is described: \"In blessing I will\nbless thee.\"\n\n  [14] _Ad Phil._ vii.\n\n_Walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of\nHis coming?_ They would be a law unto themselves, and so they followed\nan evil law. As sinners before them had said, \"Our lips are our own\"\n(Psalm xii. 4), so these men by act and word alike proclaimed, \"Our\nlives are our own, to use as we please. We have no account to give.\"\nThus they made themselves bondslaves to the lust of the flesh, the\nlust of the eye, and the pride of life, and, with these fetters heavy\nabout them, boasted of their liberty. They strengthened themselves in\ntheir evil way by jeering at the thought of Christ's return to\njudgement. \"We have heard of the promise,\" they said, \"but we see no\nsigns of its fulfilment. The angels, you say, spake of His return when\nHe was taken away from you. Let Him make speed and hasten His coming,\nthat we may see it. You are for ever speaking of it as sure and\npointing us back to the ancient Scriptures, as though they were a\nwarrant for what you preach. 'Where is the word of the Lord? Let it\ncome now'\" (Jer. xvii. 15).\n\n_For, from the day that the fathers fell asleep, all things continue\nas they were from the beginning of the creation._ Here the mockers\npass from the promise of Christ's return, and fall back upon the more\ndistant records as supplying a stronger argument. \"The fathers\" of\nwhom they speak cannot be the Christian preachers. Not many of them\ncould as yet have fallen asleep in death. But the ancient prophets of\nthe Jewish Scriptures had long ago passed away, and against them the\nscorners direct their shafts. \"Centuries ago,\" they urge, \"the\nprophetic record was closed; and its final utterance was of the day\nof the Lord, which has not yet come.\" Their word, \"fell asleep\" may\nhave also been used as part of their mockery, classing the words of\nprophecy among baseless dreams. It may be they intended a special\nallusion to that one among the prophets who dates the time of the\nLord's coming. Daniel (xii. 12) speaks of a waiting which shall last a\nthousand three hundred and five-and-thirty days. But say these\nscorners, \"When his word was complete, he was bidden, 'Go thou thy way\ntill the end be. For thou shalt rest, and shalt stand in thy lot at\nthe end of the days.' He has fallen asleep, and the other fathers\nalso. They all are at rest, and the end of the days is no nearer. The\nworld stands fast, and will stand. It has seen no change since it was\nbrought into existence.\"\n\nThose who in faith clung to Christ could not fail, as they heard these\nscorners, to think of the Master's question, \"When the Son of man\ncometh, shall He find faith in the earth?\" (Luke xviii. 8), and of\nthose other words of His which told them that the last days should be\na parallel to the days of the Deluge: \"As were the days of Noah, so\nshall be the coming of the Son of man. For as in those days which were\nbefore the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in\nmarriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and they knew\nnot until the flood came and took them all away, so shall be the\ncoming of the Son of man\" (Matt. xxiv. 37-39). The strong earth was\nunder the feet of those antediluvian mockers, the firmament above\ntheir heads. So in ignorance they jeered at what they would call the\nfolly of Noah. But the Flood came, and then they knew. Yet the last\ndays have seen, and will see, men as blind and as full of satire and\nscoffing as they.\n\n\n\n\nXXVII\n\n_JUDGEMENT TO COME_\n\n     \"For this they wilfully forget, that there were heavens from of\n     old, and an earth compacted out of water and amidst water, by the\n     word of God; by which means the world that then was, being\n     overflowed with water, perished: but the heavens that now are,\n     and the earth, by the same word have been stored up for fire,\n     being reserved against the day of judgement and destruction of\n     ungodly men.\"--2 PETER iii. 5-7.\n\n\n\"The world lasts on\" (Greek: [diam/enei]) \"through all times,\" say the\nscoffers, \"just as it was at the Creation. There has been no change;\nthere will be none.\" But out of their own mouth their folly is\nrebuked. How can these men speak of a creation? If there is to be no\nJudge, why believe that there has been a Creator? That must be\nincluded in the general denial. _For this they wilfully forget._ Yes,\nhere is the reason of their conduct, the root of all the evil. They\nforget because they wish to forget; they speak of the fathers, but of\nset purpose ignore the history of Noah; they are casting God out of\nall their thoughts: and so even to the things that are made, and by\nwhich He testifies to all men alike His eternal power and Godhead,\nthey close their eyes, and refuse to read His wide-open lesson-book.\nAnd still less do they regard all that His written word records of the\nworld's past history and God's discipline for men therein.\n\n_That there were heavens from of old, and an earth compacted out of\nwater and amidst water, by the word of God._ They close their ears as\nwell as their eyes. \"In the beginning God created the heavens and the\nearth.\" As the study of nature progresses men are learning to\ncomprehend more of the vastness of that phrase \"in the beginning,\" and\nin the light of science to read a larger meaning into St. Peter's\nwords, \"There were heavens from of old.\" But even in that generation\nto which the Apostle soon alludes the unchanging character of the\nskies spake of duration and permanence. The antediluvian world had run\na long course; from Adam to Noah men had beheld the sun rise and set\ndaily in the skies, just as it rose on the morning of the Deluge. And\nthe mockers then living could say, and doubtless did say, to the\npreacher in their midst, \"These things have always been as they are,\nand will be so for evermore.\" The later scorners had their prototypes\nof old, who pointed to the existence of an eternal law, and wilfully\nforgot that law implies a lawgiver, and that He who made must have the\npower to unmake.\n\nSt. Peter takes their text, but reads from it a very different lesson.\nThere were heavens from of old, yea, long before there was an earth\nfit for man to dwell in. This world in that old time was formless and\nvoid, and the waters covered its face like a garment. The word of the\nLord went forth, and the waters were gathered together as a heap, and\nthe depth was laid up in God's storehouses. Then the dry land\nappeared; then there was an earth. The streams took their appointed\nplace down the mountain-sides and in the valleys, and rivers began to\nroll onward to the sea; the waters of ocean learnt their bounds,\nneither turned again to cover the earth. The Divine word clothed in\nall the glory of vegetation the hitherto barren land, making it a fit\nhome for man, who was not yet; and the water ministered sustenance to\neverything that grew out of the ground. Birds, beasts, and fishes were\nmade, and the waters were the birthplace of most of these. For God\nsaid, \"Let the water bring forth abundantly the moving creature that\nhath life,\" not its own tenants only, but fowl that may fly above the\nearth in the open firmament of heaven. So there was an earth, not the\nbare ground only, but the whole wealth of vegetable and animal life;\nand this was all existent, compacted, supported out of water and by\nmeans of water (\u03b4\u03b9' \u1f55\u03b4\u03b1\u03c4\u03bf\u03c2). For without it nothing could\nhave flourished. God had laid up water above the firmament and water\nbelow the earth, and by means of watery vapour refreshed and blessed\neverything that grew. This was the reign of God's law, and ere the\nFlood came men could point to it and say, \"What mean you to talk of a\ndeluge? The sand is made the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree,\nthat it cannot pass it; the earth is set high above the waters, and\nhas been so from old time.\" But that long duration did not hinder the\nsame productive, nurturing water being turned, by the word of the\nLord, into an agency of destruction.\n\n_By which means the world that then was, being overflowed with water,\nperished._ Every word in the Apostle's sentence is meant to tell. God\nemployed as means of overthrow the very powers which at first He\nordained for blessing. His word makes things what they are. The reign\nof law endures until He, who is before all law and the source of all\nlaw, gives another direction to those forces which His law has always\nbeen controlling. In this way the world that then was, the world\nwhich had endured and been stedfast from the Creation to the Flood,\nperished. The world was full of order, full of glory. The name\n(\u03ba\u03cc\u03c3\u03bc\u03bf\u03c2) expresses all this. Yet, for the sin of man, it\nrepented God that He had made this glorious order; and this it was\nwhich perished. The earth was not destroyed; it only received again\nthat covering of primeval waters which, at God's word, had retired and\nlet the dry land appear. At the same word both earth and heaven\ncombined to destroy the goodliness with which creation was adorned.\nFor, on the day of the Deluge (Gen. vii. 11), all the fountains of the\ngreat deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened, and\nthe waters came again to cover the earth. They prevailed exceedingly,\nand all flesh died that moved upon the earth; even the fowls and the\nmoving creatures, which had been brought forth from the teeming\nwaters, perished, and all things were destroyed from off the earth.\nThus does St. Peter lay bare the unwisdom of those who will not listen\nto, who are wilfully forgetful of, the parables of God's word, who\nclose their eyes to His judgements, sent that by them men may learn\nrighteousness.\n\n_But the heavens that now are, and the earth, by the same word have\nbeen stored up for fire._ The Apostle now turns away from what the Old\nTestament Scriptures relate as history of the past to what the same\nrecords teach us concerning the future; and he deals partly with\npromise, partly with prophecy. The earth will not be destroyed again\nby a deluge. God hath made His covenant: \"I will establish My covenant\nwith you, neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of\na flood, neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth\"\n(Gen. ix. 11). But there will be a judgement; and then not, as in the\ndays of Noah, will the \u03ba\u03cc\u03c3\u03bc\u03bf\u03c2, the beautiful order of\nnature, alone be destroyed, but heaven and earth alike shall be\ninvolved in the common overthrow. Here the Apostle is but the\nexpositor of the words of psalmists and prophets of the older times.\nHe who sang, \"Of old Thou hast laid the foundation of the earth, and\nthe heavens are the work of Thy hands,\" was inspired to add, \"They\nshall perish, but Thou shalt endure; yea, all of them shall wax old\nlike a garment: as a vesture shalt Thou change them, and they shall be\nchanged\" (Psalm cii. 25). Isaiah, the evangelist among the prophets,\nsaw more, and connects this mighty change with the day of the Lord's\nvengeance: \"Then shall all the host of heaven be dissolved, and the\nheavens shall be rolled together as a scroll\" (Isa. xxxiv. 4); and in\nanother place he foresees how \"the heavens shall vanish away like\nsmoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell\ntherein shall die in like manner, ... for Mine arms shall judge the\npeople\" (Isa. li. 6); and yet again in more solemn wise, \"The Lord\nwill come with fire, and with His chariots like a whirlwind, to render\nHis anger with fury and His rebuke with names of fire, for by fire and\nby His sword will the Lord plead with all flesh\" (Isa. lxvi. 15). And\nthis he proclaims as the preparation for \"the new heavens and the new\nearth which He will make.\" Daniel also tells us of God's \"throne of\njudgement to be set, which is like the fiery flame, and His wheels as\nburning fire\" (Dan. vii. 9).\n\nWith such light from the lamp of prophecy, the Apostle in his exegesis\nproclaims the nature of the final judgement. Like other New Testament\nwriters, he has attained, since the day of Pentecost, a deeper\ninsight and a firmer grasp of the purport of what Moses in the Law\nand the prophets did write. We can see how on that very day thoughts\nlike these which he expresses in his letter were borne in upon his\nmind. For not only does he apply the prophecy of Joel to the events\nwhich then struck the multitude with wonder, but he carries on the\nlesson further to the coming of the great and notable day of the Lord,\nand reminds his hearers that then God \"will show wonders in heaven\nabove and signs in the earth beneath, blood and fire and vapour of\nsmoke, when the sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into\nblood\" (Acts ii. 19). And the like illumination had been bestowed on\nSt. Paul. For he too tells (1 Cor. iii. 13) of a day when each man's\nwork shall be proved by fire; and more definitely he assures the\nThessalonians, to whom he wrote much concerning the day of the Lord,\nthat there will come a \"revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with\nthe angels of His power in flaming fire, rendering vengeance to them\nthat know not God, and to them that obey not the gospel of our Lord\nJesus Christ\" (2 Thess. i. 8).\n\nIn such wise did the Apostles read the utterances of prophecy; and\nthus did they apply them as lessons for their own and all future\ntimes. They felt that not unto themselves, but unto us, did the\nprophets minister. And St. Peter does but put their message into his\nown words when in his bold figure he says that the heavens that now\nare and the earth are stored up for fire.\n\nThe Revised Version on its margin renders the last words \"stored with\nfire.\" And when we reflect on the storing of the waters at the\nCreation, afterwards to be let forth to destroy the world which\nhitherto they had made fruitful and lovely, the parallelism is very\nsuggestive. God has stored the earth within with fire, which from\ntime to time makes its mighty presence and power for destruction\nknown. The visitations of earthquakes may therefore well remind us\nthat He who used the treasures of waters in the Deluge for His\nministers may in like manner hereafter employ this treasury of fire.\n\n_Being reserved against the day of judgement and destruction of\nungodly men._ When God no longer waits for sinners to repent, then\nwill come the judgement and destruction of the ungodly. At that day\nthe heavens that now are and the earth shall be exchanged or\ntransformed. God will prepare a new heaven and a new earth wherein the\nrighteous may find a congenial home with their Lord. Here they can\nnever be other than pilgrims and sojourners, seeking to be clothed\nupon with their house which is from heaven. What the destruction of\nthe ungodly shall be we can only judge and speak of in the terms of\nScripture. The language of St. Paul to the Thessalonians seems to\nteach us that the very advent of the Judge shall bring their penalty:\n\"They shall suffer punishment, even eternal destruction\" (the word is\nnot the same which St. Peter uses) \"from the face of the Lord and from\nthe glory of His might\" (2 Thess. i. 9), in the presence of which\nnothing that is defiled can dwell. So God, of His mercy, still\nreserves the heavens and the earth, and thus to every new generation\noffers His mercy, saying continually through their silent witness, in\nthe spirit in which He spake to Israel at the close of the volume of\nprophecy, \"I am Jehovah\"--that is, the merciful and gracious,\nlong-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for\nthousands, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin--\"I change not;\ntherefore ye sinners are not destroyed.\"\n\n\n\n\nXXVIII\n\n_THE LORD IS NOT SLACK_\n\n     \"But forget not this one thing, beloved, that one day is with the\n     Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The\n     Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count\n     slackness; but is long-suffering to youward, not wishing that any\n     should perish, but that all should come to repentance.\"--2 PETER\n     iii. 8, 9.\n\n\n\"All things continue as they were from the from the beginning of the\ncreation,\" said the mockers. It was foolish therefore to believe in,\nor to think of, a judgement to come. In the words before us the\nApostle not only supplies an answer to the scorners, but gives a\nprecious lesson to Christians for all time on the nature of God and\nHis government of the world. It is but a single thought, but when the\nmind of the believer has grasped its significance, he will look out\nupon the world untroubled. No mockery will disturb his faith.\n\n_But forget not this one thing, beloved, that one day is with the Lord\nas a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day._ Here the\nApostle quotes some words from that psalm (xc.) which is entitled \"A\nPrayer of Moses, the Man of God.\" In it the Psalmist is contrasting\nGod's eternity with the frailty of man and the shortness of human\nlife. \"A thousand years in Thy sight are but as yesterday when it is\npast.\" But St. Peter not only adopts, but adapts, the words for his\nown purpose. He wants to teach the Christians in their trials that,\nwhile what is long in man's estimation may in God's providence be\ncounted but little, yet through God's decree what to man appears\nlittle may be big with mightiest consequences. He therefore first\ninverts the words of the Psalmist. One day is with the Lord as a\nthousand years, while a thousand years may be as one day. One day of\nHis deluge swept a whole generation out of the world, while His day of\nPentecost remains potent in the history of His grace for all the ages\nwhich are yet to come. Through a mistaken literalness, men have\nsometimes expounded the lesson as if Jehovah's dealings were a\nquestion of arithmetic. Nothing could be farther from the Apostle's\nthought, who would have us know that of great and little God's work\nmakes no account. With Him there is no short or long in time. What He\ndoes is not to be measured by the petty standards of humanity.\n\nMen _must_ take note of time, for they feel its lapse and its loss.\nThey are ever conscious that a period is coming after which what is\nundone must continue undone. Again, the length of time is known to\nthem by the recurrence of the various acts of life, and by the\nweariness which comes of continued labour, and by the grief of\nprotracted waiting. These things force them to speak of short and\nlong, but with God it is not so. For Him all time is one. He knows\nnothing of toil. Whatsoever He pleaseth, that doeth He in heaven and\nin earth, in the sea and in all deep places (Psalm cxxxv. 6). The\nPsalmist had attained a true conception. The whole world and all\nworlds were in His control, and their order the working of His eternal\nwill. He needs no rest; He slumbereth not, nor sleepeth. To Him there\nis no waiting, no weariness. Hence the past, the present, and the\nfuture are for Him one unbroken now.\n\nThis is the one thing which the Apostle offers to the Christian\nbrethren for their support and consolation against the scoffers. And\nthe knowledge is mighty for those who grasp it. It helps them to cast\nthemselves securely upon the almighty arms, convinced that God's\nworking is not to be estimated according to man's days and years, but\nis certain in its effect. One generation passeth away, and another\ncometh; but death, they learn, does not take men out of the knowledge\nor the hand of God, be it for mercy they are reserved, or for\njudgement. God does not defer His action because He lacks power to\nperform, neither does He tarry because He is unmindful of His servants\nor insensible to what they endure.\n\nSuch thoughts can minister to the faithful abundant consolation, and\nthis was the desire of the Apostle. But they raise for all time large\nquestions which can find no answer here, questions concerning the lot\nof those who pass from this brief day of life into the eternal world\nand have not known God's will, that they might do it; questions\nconcerning a discipline which may yet be reserved for some who have\nnot bent themselves to it here, perhaps from want of light; questions\nof how far hope may extend itself beyond the veil which divides this\nworld from the next. Such questions rise within many earnest souls,\noften rather for the sake of others than themselves; but God has\nvouchsafed us no answer, lest men should wax presumptuous.\n\n_The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count\nslackness._ Many things conspire to make the doings of men to tarry.\nAt one time pledges are given beyond what foresight would warrant;\nand when the day of performance arrives, they are forced to plead that\nevents have falsified their expectation, and they cannot do the things\nthat they would. Again, men, with the most earnest zeal, attempt a\nwork beyond their powers, and of necessity have to delay the\nfulfilment of their promises; while some are taken away untimely from\nthe midst of their fellows, ere life has enabled them to achieve what\nthey counted on once as certain. Want of knowledge, of time, and of\npower is the heritage of the sons of men; and therewith conspires not\nseldom a change of mind and consequent want of will. But He with whom\nis no variableness, the omnipotent, omniscient, eternal Lord of all,\nis subject to no hindrance. Whether events appear to men to linger or\nto be sudden, all move under the control of the same unchanging will.\nHe is not slack, as men are slack, either to rescue the righteous or\nto punish the ungodly. Of this the son of Sirach spake: \"The Lord will\nnot be slack, neither will the Almighty be patient, ... till He have\ntaken away the multitude of the proud and broken the sceptre of the\nunrighteous, ... till He have judged the cause of His people and made\nthem to rejoice in His mercy\" (Ecclus. xxxv. 18).\n\nHere is a medicine for fainting souls, of whom there must have been\nmany among these Asian Christians. And it is a solace furnished, too,\nby the teachings of prophecy. \"The vision,\" says one, \"is yet for an\nappointed time\" (Hab. iii. 3). God's will has ordered when and how it\nshall be accomplished; all moves by His decree. \"At the end it shall\nspeak, and not lie.\" There is no disappointment to those who wait upon\nthe purposes of God. \"Though it tarry, wait for it,\" even though the\nwaiting may last beyond this life, \"because it will surely come; it\nwill not tarry. The just shall live by his faith.\"\n\nThe order of the words in the original (\u1f45 \u03ba\u03cd\u03c1\u03b9\u03bf\u03c2\n\u03c4\u1fc6\u03c2 \u1f10\u03c0\u03b1\u03b3\u03b3\u03b5\u03bb\u03af\u03b1\u03c2) and the unwonted construction of the verb, of which no\nother example is forthcoming, have suggested to some to render thus:\n\"The Lord of the promise is not slack.\" Even so the words give a\npowerful sense. God, who makes the promise to men, is supreme over all\non which its faithfulness depends, supreme both as Maker and Fulfiller\nof His word. He sees and controls the end from the beginning. Blessed\nare all they that put their trust in Him.\n\n_But is long-suffering to youward._ The Authorised Version heads \"to\nusward\". And some have thought it more in accord with the Apostle's\nmanner and humility to include himself with the brethren. The other\nreading is better supported, and none will doubt on that account St.\nPeter's sense of God's long-suffering towards himself. The term which\nhe here employs to describe the Divine character implies the holding\nback of wrath. God might justly punish, but He stays His blow. Men\nhave sinned, and still sin; but His love prevails above His anger. The\nword is formed by the LXX. translators to render one expression in\nthat passage (Exod. xxxiv. 6) where God proclaims unto Moses the\nattributes by which He would be known unto men. Through all the list\nmercy is the dominant feature. Term upon term seems devised to magnify\nthe tenderness of Jehovah towards His people, though at last, if the\ncontinual offers of mercy are despised, He \"will by no means clear the\nguilty.\" No other language furnishes such a word, for no other people\nhad such a knowledge of the God of all grace.\n\n_Not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to\nrepentance._ We are wont to connect statements like this with the\ngracious messages of the New Testament. Yet some saints of earlier\ntime felt all that St. Peter here teaches. The writer of\nEcclesiasticus has some striking words. He is connecting God's mercy\nwith the shortness of man's life, and his language anticipates in the\nmain this teaching of the Apostle: \"The number of a man's days at the\nmost are a hundred years. As a drop of water unto the sea, so are a\nthousand years to the days of eternity. Therefore is God patient with\nthem, and poureth forth His mercy upon them. The mercy of man is\ntoward his neighbour, but the mercy of God is upon all flesh; He\nreproveth, and nurtureth, and teacheth, and bringeth again as a\nshepherd his flock\" (Ecclus. xviii. 9-14). In such wise had some who\nwaited for the consolation of Israel grasped God's promises by\nanticipation, seeing them afar off and being persuaded of them. Such\nmen owned themselves, equally with the Apostle, to be strangers and\npilgrims, and sought for that inheritance which Christ sent him to\npreach.\n\nThe word \"wishing\" (\u03b2\u03bf\u03c5\u03bb\u03cc\u03bc\u03b5\u03bd\u03bf\u03c2) implies deliberate consent.\nThis God does not give to the death of any sinner. If any perish, it\nis not because God so desired or designed. But some will ask, \"Why,\nthen, should any perish?\" St. Peter in this sentence, full of grace,\nsupplies the answer. They continue in sin, and repent not. Even offers\nof mercy are of no avail. But why does not the Almighty Father drive\nthem to repentance by His judgements? Because He has made His children\nfree, and asks from them a willing service. They are to _come_ to\nrepentance. The invitation is full and free. Christ says, \"Come unto\nMe, all ye that labour.\" Nay, God makes at times a less demand: \"Look\nunto Me and be ye saved, all ye ends of the earth.\" Could words\nbreathe more of mercy? To come, to look--that is the sole demand. God\nbestows all besides. Let men but manifest a desire, and His grace is\npoured forth. He wisheth not that any should perish.\n\nAnd Christ, too, when He speaks of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, has\nthe same lesson. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost all conspire\nto further the work of man's salvation. \"All things,\" said our Lord,\n\"whatsoever the Father hath, are Mine. Therefore said I, He shall take\nof Mine, and shall show\" (R.V. declare) \"it unto you.\" But the eye to\nsee what He shows, the ear to hear His declarations--these He asks\nfrom men. He willeth that they should _come_ to repentance, and\nthrough that gate should come to Him.\n\n\n\n\nXXIX\n\n\"_WHAT MANNER OF PERSONS OUGHT YE TO BE?_\"\n\n     \"But the day of the Lord will come as a thief; in the which the\n     heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements\n     shall be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works\n     that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing that these things are\n     thus all to be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be\n     in _all_ holy living and godliness, looking for and earnestly\n     desiring the coming of the day of God, by reason of which the\n     heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall\n     melt with fervent heat? But, according to His promise, we look\n     for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth\n     righteousness.\"--2 PETER iii. 10-13.\n\n\nThe Apostle, ever earnest to put the brethren in mind of the things\nthey had heard or read, never fails to follow his own precept. His\nthoughts perpetually go back to the words of Jesus, of which the\npassage before us is but one example out of many. \"If the master of\nthe house had known in what hour the thief was coming, he would have\nwatched\" (Luke xii. 39). So spake Christ to the disciples when urging\nthem to be like unto servants that look for the coming of their lord.\nTo the Master's parable St. Peter now gives its application: _But the\nday of the Lord will come as a thief_. He means first to mark the\nunexpected advent, which steals upon men when they least think of it.\nSinners will have lulled themselves into security, and the thought\nfarthest from their minds will be the all-important preparation. St.\nPaul uses the same figure in speaking of the same subject (1 Thess.\nv. 2), from which passage the words \"in the night\" have found their\nway into the text of St. Peter, to which, as the Revised Version\nindicates, they do not belong. And in the Epistle to the Hebrews the\nApostle has defined the preparation which, joined with patience,\nshould keep men in readiness for the certain advent: \"Exhorting one\nanother, and so much the more as ye see the day approaching\" (Heb. x.\n25).\n\nSt. Peter passes on to tell of the terrors which shall attend on that\nday. Here also he has in mind the words of his Master, who, after a\nprophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem, spake of that greater coming\nof the Son of man of which the overthrow of the Holy City was to be\nbut a partial type: \"There shall be signs in sun and moon and stars,\nand upon the earth distress of nations, in perplexity for the roaring\nof the sea and the billows, men fainting for fear and for expectation\nof the things that are coming on the world, for the powers of the\nheavens shall be shaken\" (Luke xxi. 25; Matt. xxiv. 29). With the\nLord's language for his warrant, he paints, largely in the words of\nthe prophets of old, the things which shall befall the world in that\ngreat and notable day: _In the which the heavens shall pass away with\na great noise, and the elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat,\nand the earth and the works that are therein shall be burned up_.\nIsaiah had used like words of old: \"All the host of heaven shall be\ndissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll\" (Isa.\nxxxiv. 4); and in another place he speaks (xxiv. 19) of the earth as\nutterly broken, clean dissolved, moved exceedingly; Micah has to\nproclaim the coming of the Lord, and he pictures it thus: \"The\nmountains shall be molten under Him, and the valleys shall be cleft\nas wax before the fire\" (Micah i. 4); and Nahum, describing the day of\nthe Lord which he foresaw was coming upon Nineveh, says, \"The\nmountains quake at Him, and the hills melt; and the earth is upheaved\nat His presence, yea the world and all that dwell therein.\" It is St.\nPeter's, by the light of the words of Jesus, to read their full\npurport into these prophetic messages, and to teach those upon whom\nthe ends of the ages are come that all these things will have their\nconsummation in that coming of the Lord which shall be the close of\nthese latter days.\n\nWhen thus considered his description contains many striking details.\n\"The heavens will pass away.\" Christ Himself had so spoken, not of\nheaven only, but of the earth also. His word was the same which Peter\nemploys, but He used it in the same sentence thus: \"My word will not\npass away\" (Matt. xxiv. 35). That is the one thing to which we may\ntrust. All else will be destroyed or changed. Only those who are in\nChrist will be fit for the new order. For them old things are passed\naway; behold, they are become new (2 Cor. v. 17). They have been\npurified by the fire of the Holy Spirit, and so can abide the day of\nChrist's coming.\n\nTo describe the dread process he has a striking word, which, like so\nmany of the Apostle's expressions, is used nowhere else in the New\nTestament: \"With a great noise\" (\u1fe5\u03bf\u03b9\u03b6\u03b7\u03b4\u03cc\u03bd). It is applied\nto many sounds of terror: to the hurtling of weapons as they fly\nthrough the air; to the sound of a lash as it is brought down for the\nblow; to the rushing of waters; to the hissing of serpents. He has\nchosen it as if by it he would unite many horrors in one.\n\nThen the thought of nature's dissolution. All that was bound together\nat the Creation, and then received a law of cohesion which sustained\nit thenceforth, will be cast loose, the compacted world dissolved.\nThese things have been thought of as emblems of stability. God hath\nmade the round world so fast that it cannot be moved (Psalm civ. 5),\nbut He who made can also unmake. How foolish then must they be who\nbound their thoughts and aims by what the world can give, making\nthemselves thereby of the earth, earthy, and so sure to fail when that\nis destroyed. And what are those works that are in the earth of which\nthe Apostle speaks? Do the words mean no more than \"the world and all\nthat therein is,\" a phrase so common in Scripture? At first sight it\nappears so. But some most ancient manuscripts, instead of \"shall be\nburned up,\" read \"shall be discovered.\" Of this the Revised Version\ntakes note on its margin. From this reading the mind goes to the words\nof the Preacher, \"God shall bring every work into judgement, with\nevery hidden thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil\" (Eccles.\nxii. 14). The sense is thus bound closer with the coming of the day of\nthe Lord.\n\n_Seeing that these things are thus all to be dissolved, what manner of\npersons ought ye to be in all holy living and godliness?_ The Apostle\nsays more than \"are to be dissolved.\" His word signifies \"are being\ndissolved.\" The event is so sure, and the interests involved so\nweighty, that he speaks of it as present, that thus he may more\nforcibly urge his lesson of preparation. \"What manner of persons ought\nye to be?\" Christ had supplied the answer, and so St. Peter gives\nnone: \"Let your loins be girded about, and your lamps burning, and ye\nyourselves like unto men looking for their lord\" (Luke xii. 25). The\nfigures imply readiness for any service, most of all, to an Eastern\nmind, readiness to set forth on a journey. Such should ever be the\nattitude of those who are but sojourners and pilgrims. And by his\nwords the Apostle intimates how this preparedness should enter into\nevery relation of the Christian life. The translation says, \"in _all_\nholy living and godliness\"; but in the Greek there is no word for\n_all_. Literally the words are \"in holy conversations and\ngodlinesses.\" In English we could not use words thus. Hence the device\nof the translators to come as near to the sense as is possible. But if\nwe carry with us the thought contained in these plural words, we see\nhow St. Peter teaches by them that in our daily life and work as well\nas in our religious exercises we should be ever watchful, ever ready.\nOur life with men and with God should be stamped as \"Holiness unto the\nLord.\" By such a walk we shall keep ourselves apart from sinners, and\nbe helped thus far to keep away from sin. And the godliness of which\nhe speaks springs, as he has already taught (i. 6) in this Epistle,\nfrom a patient waiting on the Lord. Thus the whole attitude of the\nChristian becomes one of wakeful readiness. He is of those of whom it\nis said, \"Blessed are those servants whom their lord when he cometh\nshall find watching.\"\n\n_Looking for and earnestly desiring the coming of the day of God, by\nreason of which the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the\nelements shall melt with fervent heat._ The question of the mockers,\n\"Where is the promise of His coming?\" will not disturb those whose\nlives are thus made ready. That coming fills their every thought,\nmoulds every desire, controls and chastens every action. For not only\ndo they look for it: they long for it, and earnestly desire it. For to\nbe with Christ is far better. Hence they hear of the melting elements\nand the fires of heaven without alarm. With them it is as with the\nHebrew children in the days of Nebuchadnezzar. The fires which others\ndread, and by reason of which the heavens dissolve and the elements\nmelt, will have no power over them save to loose their bonds, to free\nthem from the burden of the flesh, to further that change from the\nnatural to the spiritual which St. Paul teaches we must all undergo;\nwhile with them there will be the Son of God. And thus they will\nattain to their desire, and become partakers of the Divine nature.\n\nBut the translation \"earnestly desiring\" by no means exhausts the\nsignificance and solemnity of St. Peter's word. The Authorised Version\nrendered it \"hasting unto the coming of the day of God\"; but the word\n\"unto\" is not in the Greek, though the verb means \"hastening.\" The\nword is found in the LXX. of Isa. xvi. 5, where the Authorised Version\ntranslates the Hebrew by \"hasting righteousness\" and the Revised by\n\"swift to do righteousness.\" But though a king, as in that passage,\nmay be said to hasten righteousness by being swift to do it, is there\nany sense in which men could be said to hasten the coming of the day\nof God? It seems as though Christ intended to set such an aim before\nHis servants. Before He was crucified He spake that prophetic promise,\n\"I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto Me.\" When He had been\nlifted up on the cross and as a testimony to His Godhead, lifted up\nfrom the grave, He gave His commission to the Apostles: \"Go ye\ntherefore and make disciples of all the nations.... Lo, I am with you\nalway, even unto the end of the world.\" He promised His Spirit also to\nbe their Guide into all truth.\n\nThus were they sent to be heralds of and labourers for his kingdom;\nand one of them has testified to the abundance of the aid bestowed: \"I\ncan do all things through Christ that giveth me power.\" But he who\nthus spake could say to his converts, \"Be ye imitators of me, even as\nI also am of Christ\" (1 Cor. xi. 1). In this way men can lift up\nChrist; in this way can they draw men to Him. And to do this by\nexamples of holy living and godliness is the work which He has\ncommitted to His Church, to let the light of Christian lives shine\nbefore men in such wise that they may be won for Him. And when we see\nHis kingdom's slow advance, St. Peter's question is turned into a\nreproach, \"What manner of men ought ye to be?\"\n\n_But, according to His promise, we look for new heavens and a new\nearth, wherein dwelleth righteousness._ All creation was marred at the\nFall. It groaneth and travaileth until now in pain along with the sons\nof men. It was made subject unto vanity, but that was by reason of\nGod, who made it thus subject in hope that it shall be delivered,\nalong with man, from the bondage of corruption. And that victory was\npromised from the first. The seed of the woman shall not always be the\nspoil of the serpent. The world was in many ways kept alive to this\nthought. A race was promised from whom all nations should be blessed.\nGod established a kingdom to represent His rule in the world, and at\nlength Isaiah was inspired to tell of new heavens and a new earth\n(Isa. lxv. 17). He too foresaw that this was for a reign of\nrighteousness, that it pointed to a time when the wickedness of the\nwicked had come to an end: \"The sun shall be no more thy light by day,\nneither the moon by night; for the Lord shall be thy everlasting\nlight, and as for thy people, they shall all be righteous.\" And Christ\nwhile on earth endorsed the prophetic word: \"I go to prepare a place\nfor you. I will come again and receive you unto Myself, that where I\nam, there shall My servant be.\"\n\nHence St. Peter says, \"According to His promise we look forward.\" And\nby using the same he identifies the new heavens and the new earth with\nthe coming of the day of God. The believer heeds no more the mockers\nwho ask, \"Where is the promise of His coming?\" He can look and lift up\nhis head, assured that his redemption draweth nigh. For his\nexpectation has been fostered through a life of holy conversation and\ngodliness, and the assurance of the day of God is firm, for the\nkingdom of God is set up within him.\n\nAnd the consolation of the promise consists largely in the thought\nthat in the new creation righteousness will dwell, will make its home.\nFirst, there will be Christ the righteous, who is also our\nrighteousness; and all the hindrances and stumbling-blocks of this\nlife will be removed. Here the sojourners and pilgrims abide for the\ntime amid many foes and countless perils; then they will be delivered\neven from their own frailties. As their home is new-created, so they\nshall become new creatures. So their thought, their prayer, their\nstruggle, is ever, _Sursum corda_; and day by day they are bound less\nto earth and realise more of heaven.\n\n    \"The distant landscape draws not nigh\n      For all our gazing, but the soul\n    That upward looks may still descry\n      Nearer each day the brightening goal.\"\n\n\n\n\nXXX\n\n\"_BE YE STEDFAST, UNMOVABLE._\"\n\n     \"Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for these things, give\n     diligence that ye may be found in peace, without spot and\n     blameless in His sight. And account that the long-suffering of\n     our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also,\n     according to the wisdom given to him, wrote unto you; as also in\n     all _his_ epistles, speaking in them of these things; wherein are\n     some things hard to be understood, which the ignorant and\n     unstedfast wrest, as _they do_ also the other Scriptures, unto\n     their own destruction. Ye therefore, beloved, knowing _these\n     things_ beforehand, beware lest, being carried away with the\n     error of the wicked, ye fall from your own stedfastness. But grow\n     in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.\n     To Him _be_ the glory both now and for ever. Amen.\"--2 PETER iii.\n     14-18.\n\n\nIn these solemn closing words the Apostle sums up his exhortations and\nwarnings. His admonition is of a twofold character. First, he urges\nthe brethren to strive after stedfastness, but to beware of sinking\ninto a careless security which may make them an easy prey to false\nguides. \"Stand fast,\" he would say, \"and be ever watchful against\nfalling.\" Then, let your Christian life be one of steady, constant,\ntemperate progress; let it imitate God's works in nature, which wax,\nman sees not how or when, by drawing constantly from the hidden\nsources which minister life and increase. Let believers seek thus that\nin their lives there may grow from God's seed of faith first the\nblade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear, to yield some\nthirty, some sixty, some a hundredfold, to the praise and glory of\nthe Lord of the harvest.\n\n_Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for these things, give\ndiligence that ye may be found in peace, without spot and blameless in\nHis sight._ The whole passage runs over with Christian affection; a\nvery working out it is in a believer's life of Christ's teaching, \"By\nthis shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye love one\nanother.\" Love to the brethren, love to his fellow-apostle, breathes\nin every line of these final sentences. Beloved are the Churches,\nbeloved his fellow-labourer. And he is never weary of repeating that\nword \"looking for,\" which marks the true attitude of the Christian\npilgrim: Seeing that ye look for the coming of the day of God. Before\nhe had said, _We_ look for it; now he brings the lesson nearer home to\nevery one of them: _Ye_ are looking for these things. Be ye therefore\nready. Give diligence that ye may be found in peace by Christ when He\nappears.\n\nPeace is the bond which clasps together the brotherhood of Christ. But\nthings which need a bond are prone to break asunder, and St. Paul\nmarks the care which is needed in this matter by using the same word\n(\u03c3\u03c0\u03bf\u03c5\u03b4\u03ac\u03b6\u03bf\u03bd\u03c4\u03b5\u03c2) which St. Peter employs here. And his list of\nthe virtues which make for peace shows how much anxiety is needed:\n\"With all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering forbearing one\nanother in love, _giving diligence_ to keep the unity of the Spirit in\nthe bond of peace\" (Eph. iv. 2). Such are the graces to be fostered by\nthose who look for the Lord's coming. The Hebrew knew no nobler word\nto use for blessing than \"Peace be with you.\" Christ at His parting\nsays to His disciples, \"My peace I leave with you; My peace I give\nunto you.\" It embraces reconciliation with God and union with the\nbrethren; it is a treasure worthy of all striving for, and when\nattained it passeth all understanding.\n\nThey who are looking for Christ will strive to become like Him. Christ\ncame down from heaven and assumed humanity that His brethren might\ntake courage for this lofty aim. The Apostle (1 Peter i. 19) has\nspoken of Him as a lamb without spot and blemish, and this ideal\npurity he now sets before the brethren. For he knows that to strive\nafter it will sunder them from the corruptions of those false teachers\nwhom he has called \"spots and blemishes\" (ii. 13) in the Christian\nsociety. Instead of denying the Master that bought them, they will be\nhearkening constantly for His voice. Thus will they become clean\nthrough the word which He speaks unto them (John xv. 3). For His voice\nis ever helpful; and abiding in Him, they will bring forth much fruit.\n\n_And account that the long-suffering of our Lord is salvation._ The\nmockers had made the delay of God's day the subject of their scoffing.\n\"It tarries,\" said they, \"because it is never coming.\" Their speech\nwas, in fact, a challenge: \"If it is to come, let it come now.\" The\nChristian is of another mind. His heart is full of thankfulness for\nthe mercy which allows time for that diligence which his preparation\ndemands. St. Paul expresses this feeling concerning God's dealings\nwith himself: \"For this cause I obtained mercy, that in me as chief\nmight Jesus Christ show forth all His long-suffering, for an example\nof them which should hereafter believe on Him unto eternal life\" (1\nTim. i. 16). And the opportunity thus granted him that Apostle used to\nthe full; yet ever mindful was he not only from whom was the mercy,\nbut also from whom came the power which was with him in his diligence:\n\"I laboured more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace\nof God which was with me.\" And in another place (Phil. i. 22), though\nhe longs to be released from life and to be with Christ, he recognises\nthat there may be a Divine purpose in delaying _that_ day of God also,\nthat to live in the flesh may be the fruit of his labour; and if this\nbe so, he is content.\n\nFor the believer thinks not only of his own salvation and his own\nopportunities. The Christian's faith is not selfish. He beholds how\nlarge a part of the world is not yet subject unto Christ, and owns in\nthe delay of the day of the Lord a wealth of abundant grace, offering\nsalvation still to all who will accept it.\n\n_Even as our beloved brother Paul also, according to the wisdom given\nto him, wrote unto you._ Some, who have restricted the allusion of St.\nPeter here to the \"long-suffering\" of God, have thought that the\nEpistle to the Romans is intended. That letter is the only one in\nwhich St. Paul speaks generally on this subject. In ii. 4 he asks,\n\"Despisest thou the riches of God's goodness, and forbearance, and\nlong-suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to\nrepentance?\" and, again, asks another question: \"What if God, willing\nto show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much\nlong-suffering vessels of wrath fitted unto destruction, and that He\nmight make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy?\" (ix.\n22). Others, considering the great subject of the day of God to be\nspecially present to St. Peter's mind, have found parallels in the two\nepistles to the Thessalonians. It has also been pointed out that\nSilvanus was with St. Paul when these letters were written, and that\nthrough him (1 Peter v. 12) their import might have been brought to\nthe knowledge of the Asiatic congregations. But we know too little of\nthe intercommunication of the Churches of Europe and Asia to arrive at\na conclusion, while the definite statement \"wrote unto you\" seems\ncertainly to refer to some letter addressed to the Churches of Asia.\nAmong these, beside the Galatians, were the Ephesians and the\nColossians. Reference has already been made to the way in which St.\nPaul speaks in his first epistle to Timothy of the long-suffering of\nGod towards himself. Would the letter to the bishop of Ephesus be held\ntoo personal for its contents in some form to be imparted to the whole\nChurch? Then in the Ephesian epistle such a passage as ii. 4-7 may\nwell have been in St. Peter's thoughts: \"God, being rich in mercy, ...\nquickened us together with Christ, ... that in the ages to come He\nmight show the exceeding riches of His grace in kindness towards us in\nJesus Christ,\" or Col. i. 19, 20: \"It was the good pleasure of the\nFather that in Him should all the fulness dwell, and through Him to\nreconcile all things unto Himself, having made peace through the blood\nof His cross.\" But there is no reason from St. Peter's words to assume\nthat he is referring to an extant epistle. He may have known of a\nletter to the brethren in Asia of which we have no trace. Of one thing\nwe may be sure: that his words had a definite sense for those to whom\nthey were written.\n\nBut his reference to St. Paul has much interest for other reasons.\nAmong these brethren there would be current many memories of the great\nApostle to whose labour the formation of these Churches was chiefly\ndue. His name would for them add weight to St. Peter's admonitions.\nThe mention of the wisdom Divinely given to him would remind the\nGalatians at least how foolish had been their doubts and waverings in\nbygone days. While, as they knew how one apostle had withstood the\nother when he saw that he was to be blamed, such words as these from\nSt. Peter would come with double force. Most of all, while the\nteachers of error were perverting St. Paul's language for an occasion\nto the flesh, it was good that the Churches should be reminded that he\never taught men to strive after lives without spot and blemish and had\ngiven no licence to the excesses for which his words were offered as a\nwarrant.\n\n_As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things._ From\nthis it appears that it is the whole drift of St. Peter's letter, its\nwarnings as well as its counsels, which is in harmony with the words\nof St. Paul. But we need not assume that St. Peter's readers were\nacquainted with all the fellow-Apostle's writings. He is telling them\nwhat his own experience has proved.\n\n_Wherein are some things hard to be understood, which the ignorant and\nunstedfast wrest, as they do also the other Scriptures, unto their own\ndestruction._ This passage is noteworthy as the only place in the New\nTestament in which the writings of the Apostles are regarded as\nranking with the Scriptures of the old covenant. Everywhere else\n\"Scripture\" means the Old Testament. Yet, as the Apostles were passing\naway, it must have begun to be felt that a time was coming when great\nauthority would attach to their words, as of persons who had seen the\nLord. St. Peter has just spoken of the wisdom which was given to St.\nPaul. That wisdom came from the same source as the illumination of the\nprophets; and it is not unnatural, after such an allusion, that his\nwritings should be classed with those of old time. Both were\nsubjected to the same treatment. So perversely had the Old Testament\nbeen read that when He came of whom it spake--came to those who held\nthe volume in their hands, and who regarded it with much show of\nreverence--He was not recognised. His people had blinded their eyes.\nJust so was it faring with that \"freedom\" of which St. Paul had said\nso much to the Galatian Church. Wrested from its true meaning, it was\nput forward as if it gave warranty and encouragement for the life of\nthe libertine.\n\nThat many things in the writings of St. Paul are difficult to\ncomprehend is beyond question. He more than any of the New Testament\nwriters works out the principles of Christ's teaching in their\nconsequences. He deals most fully with the great questions which\ncircle round the doctrine of redemption; with election and\njustification; with the casting off of God's ancient people and the\ncertainty of their restoration; with the objects of faith, the things\nhoped for, but as yet unseen; with the resurrection of the body and\nthe changes which shall pass upon it; and with the nature of the life\nto come. He of all men realised to the full the length, and breadth,\nand depth, and height of the love of God, and spake in his letters of\nmuch which passeth knowledge.\n\nBut in St. Peter's word (\u03b4\u03c5\u03c3\u03bd\u03cc\u03b7\u03c4\u03b1) \"hard to be understood\"\nthere appears to be the thought that men's difficulties arise in part\nbecause they look on these subjects as studies for the intellect\n(\u03bd\u03bf\u1fe6\u03c2) alone, and fail for this reason to attain to the best\nknowledge which is given to man. It is of God's order that for the\nlessons which come from Him He also imparts the power of true\ndiscernment. Those who approach the study of Christian truth as a cold\nintellectual exercise, in the comprehension of which heart and soul\nbear no part, will go away empty, and as dark almost as they come.\n\nThe \"wresting\" of which St. Peter here speaks may come either of the\nmisuse of single terms, just as the apostles of licence put a wrong\nsense, for their own ends, on St. Paul's \"liberty,\" or it may be the\neffect of severing a lesson from its occasion and its context. Such\nperversion also happened to St. Paul's doctrine. To those who, like\nthe Galatians, had been drawn back to an undue estimate of the legal\nordinances of Judaism, the Apostle, as a corrective, had exalted faith\nfar above outward observances; and there soon arose those who under\nhis language sheltered themselves in a dissolute Antinomianism. The\nsame befell in later days when Agricola and the Solifidians perverted\nLuther's teaching of justification by faith. And when such misleading\nguides find hearers who are \"ignorant and unstedfast,\" the false\nlessons, which always have the frailties of humanity to back them,\ngain many adherents. To the thoughtless such teaching is seductive,\nand is unsuspected because it puts on a semblance of affinity with\ntruth. Hence grow those ruptures of the Christian body, those heresies\nwhich lead to destruction (ii. 1).\n\n_Ye therefore, beloved, knowing these things beforehand, beware lest,\nbeing carried away with the error of the wicked, ye fall from your own\nstedfastness._ In the first chapter the Apostle has already (ver. 12)\naddressed the converts as those who knew the things of which he wrote\nand needed only to be put in mind, who were established in the truth,\nand not to be classed with the ignorant and unstedfast. Yet for all\nthere is need of watchfulness. The lies which are abroad clothe\nthemselves in the garb of truth, wresting the Scriptures.\n\"Therefore,\" says he, \"guard yourselves\" (\u03c6\u03c5\u03bb\u03ac\u03c3\u03c3\u03b5\u03c3\u03b8\u03b5). The\nword is not only a notice against dangers from without, but an\nadmonition to watchfulness within. The wandering of the lawless may\nbeguile; to many it has attractions. But if they join that company and\nfollow with them, the end will be a shipwreck of the whole Christian\nlife. The verb (\u1f10\u03ba\u03c0\u03af\u03c0\u03c4\u03b5\u03b9\u03bd) is that which we find (Acts\nxxvii. 26, 29) in the description of the wreck at Melita, when the\nsailors feared lest they should be cast ashore on rocky ground. It is\nagainst a moral peril of even more terrible character that St. Peter\nwarns the Churches; and the contrast is most instructive which is\npictured in the two words by which he defines error and stedfastness.\nThe former (\u03c0\u03bb\u03ac\u03bd\u03b7) betokens a ceaseless wandering, a life\nwithout a plan, a voyage without rudder or compass, every stage made\nin doubt, uncertainty, and peril; the other word \u03c3\u03c4\u03b7\u03c1\u03c5\u03b3\u03bc\u1f78\u03c2) tells of\nfirmness, fixity, and strength, and comes fitly into the exhortation\nof that Apostle whose charge was, \"When thou art converted,\nstrengthen\" (\u03c3\u03c4\u03ae\u03c1\u03b9\u03be\u03bf\u03bd) \"thy brethren\" (Luke xxii. 32). \"This\nstedfastness,\" he says, \"is now your own\" (\u1f30\u03b4\u03af\u03bf\u03c5); \"barter it not away\nfor any illusions of wayward error.\"\n\n_But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus\nChrist._ As if to attest his own stedfastness; he ends as he had\nbegun. \"Grace unto you and peace be multiplied,\" was the opening\ngreeting of his first letter, to which in his second he adds, \"through\nthe knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.\" But there is great\nsignificance in the way in which St. Peter's words hang together in\nthis verse. The structure of the sentence shows that he intends to say\nnot only that grace is the gift of Jesus Christ, but that from Him\ncomes also all knowledge that is worthy of the name, a lesson most\nfitting and most necessary in those days, when teachers, who claimed\nto be possessors of a special higher knowledge, were denying Jesus\naltogether both as Master and as Judge. \"Root yourselves in Christ,\"\nis the apostolic charge; \"seek His help; walk by His light. Thus only\ncan your power increase; thus only can your way be safe.\"\n\n_To Him be the glory both now and for ever. Amen._ This is the end of\nthe Apostles labour: that Christ may be glorified in His servants;\nthat they may know Him here as the Way, the Truth, and the Life,\nhereafter as the High-priest of His people, but deigning to become the\nFirst-born among many brethren. For those who find Him here and there\nalso eternity will be too short to show forth all His praise.\n\n\n_Printed by Hazell, Watson, & Viney, Ld., London and Aylesbury._\n\n\n\n\n  _SEVENTH SERIES--1893-4._\n\n  =THE EXPOSITOR'S BIBLE.=\n\n  Edited by the Rev. W. ROBERTSON NICOLL, M.A., LL.D.,\n  Editor of \"The Expositor.\"\n\n  SIX VOLUMES. In large crown 8vo, cloth.\n\n  _PRICE to SUBSCRIBERS in ADVANCE, TWENTY-FOUR SHILLINGS._\n\n  SEPARATE VOLS. 7_s._ 6_d._ EACH.\n\n  The following volumes will be issued, if practicable, within one\n  year, commencing in January. Should it not be possible to include\n  all the volumes named, they will be replaced by others from the\n  list already announced.\n\n  I.\n\n  _PRINCIPAL MOULE, M.A._\n  =The Epistle to the Romans=\n  By the Rev. HANDLEY C. G. MOULE, M.A., Principal of Ridley\n  Hall, Cambridge.\n\n  II.\n\n  _ARCHDEACON FARRAR, D.D._\n  =The Second Book of Kings=\n  By the Venerable F. W. FARRAR, D.D., Archdeacon of\n  Westminster.\n\n  III.\n\n  _PROFESSOR BENNETT, M.A._\n  =The First Book of Chronicles=\n  By the Rev. W. H. BENNETT, M.A., Professor of Old and New\n  Testament History, Hackney College.\n\n  IV.\n\n  _REV. JAMES DENNEY, B.D._\n  =The Second Epistle to the Corinthians=\n  By the Rev. JAMES DENNEY, B.D., Author of \"The Epistles\n  to the Thessalonians,\" etc.\n\n  V.\n\n  _DR. R. A. WATSON_\n  =The Book of Numbers=\n  By the Rev. R. A. WATSON, D.D., Author of \"Judges and\n  Ruth,\" etc.\n\n  VI.\n\n  _DR. ALEXANDER MACLAREN._\n  =The Psalms. Vol. III.=\n  By the Rev. ALEXANDER MACLAREN, D.D.\n\n  LONDON: HODDER & STOUGHTON, 27, PATERNOSTER ROW.\n\n\n=THE EXPOSITOR'S BIBLE.=\n\n* * Subscriptions to each of the series, 24_s._; separate\nvols., 7_s._ 6_d._ each\n\nFIRST SERIES, 1887-8.\n\n  _COLOSSIANS_\n  By Rev. A. MACLAREN, D.D.\n\n  _ST. MARK_\n  By Very Rev. the DEAN OF ARMAGH.\n\n  _GENESIS_\n  By Prof. MARCUS DODS, D.D.\n\n  _1 SAMUEL_\n  By Prof. W. G. BLAIKIE, D.D.\n\n  _2 SAMUEL_\n  By the same Author.\n\n  _HEBREWS_\n  By Principal T. C. EDWARDS, D.D.\n\nSECOND SERIES, 1888-9.\n\n  _GALATIANS_\n  By Prof. G. G. FINDLAY, B.A.\n\n  _THE PASTORAL EPISTLE_\n  By Rev. A. PLUMMER, D.D.\n\n  _ISAIAH_ i.--XXXIX.\n  By Prof. G. A. SMITH, M.A.\n\n  _The BOOK of REVELATION_\n  By Prof. W. MILLIGAN, D.D.\n\n  _1 CORINTHIANS_\n  By Prof. MARCUS DODS, D.D.\n\n  _The EPISTLES of ST. JOHN_\n  By Rt. Rev. W. ALEXANDER, D.D.\n\nTHIRD SERIES, 1889-90.\n\n  _JUDGES AND RUTH_\n  By Rev. R. A. WATSON, D.D.\n\n  _JEREMIAH_\n  By Rev. C. J. BALL, M.A.\n\n  _ISAIAH_ XL.--LXVI.\n  By Prof. G. A. SMITH, M.A.\n\n  _ST. MATTHEW_\n  By Rev. J. MONRO GIBSON, D.D.\n\n  _EXODUS_\n  By Very Rev. the DEAN OF ARMAGH.\n\n  _ST. LUKE_\n  By Rev. H. BURTON, M.A.\n\nFOURTH SERIES, 1890-1.\n\n  _ECCLESIASTES_\n  By Rev. SAMUEL COX, D.D.\n\n  _ST. JAMES and ST. JUDE_\n  By Rev. A. PLUMMER, D.D.\n\n  _PROVERBS_\n  By Rev. R. F. HORTON, M.A.\n\n  _LEVITICUS_\n  By Rev. S. H. KELLOGG, D.D.\n\n  _THE GOSPEL OF ST. JOHN_\n  By Prof. M. DODS, D.D. Vol. I.\n\n  _The ACTS of the APOSTLES_\n  By Prof. STOKES, D.D. Vol. I.\n\nFIFTH SERIES, 1891-2.\n\n  _THE PSALMS_\n  By Rev. A. MACLAREN, D.D. Vol. I.\n\n  _1 and 2 THESSALONIANS_\n  By Rev. JAMES DENNEY, B.D.\n\n  _THE BOOK OF JOB_\n  By Rev. R. A. WATSON D.D.\n\n  _EPHESIANS_\n  By Prof. G. G. FINDLAY, B.A.\n\n  _THE GOSPEL OF ST. JOHN_\n  By Prof. M. DODS, D.D. Vol. II.\n\n  _The ACTS of the APOSTLES_\n  By Prof. STOKES, D.D. Vol. II.\n\nSIXTH SERIES, 1892-3.\n\n  _PHILIPPIANS_\n  By Principal RAINY, D.D.\n\n  _1 KINGS_\n  By Ven. Archdeacon FARRAR.\n\n  _JOSHUA_\n  By Prof. W. G. BLAIKIE, D.D.\n\n  _EZRA, NEHEMIAH, ESTHER_\n  By Prof. W. F. ADENEY, M.A.\n\n  _THE PSALMS_\n  By Rev. A. MACLAREN, D.D. Vol. II.\n\n  _THE EPISTLES OF PETER_\n  By Rev. Prof. LUMBY, D.D.\n\n  LONDON: HODDER & STOUGHTON, 27, PATERNOSTER ROW.","title":"The Expositor's Bible: The Epistles of St. Peter","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":97446}