though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with 9 gladness unspeakable, and full of glory; being to re ceive the end of your faith, even the salvation of your 10 souls. Of which salvation the prophets, who prophesied concerning the favour of God which was to come unto 11 you, inquired and searched diligently; searching what time, or what kind of time, the spirit of Christ † which was in them signified, when it witnessed beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glories which were to fol12 low to whom it was revealed, that they ministered not to themselves, but to you, the things which have now been told you, by those, that have preached the gospel to you through the holy spirit sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into. 13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and fully hope for the gracious gift which will be given 14 you at the manifestation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to your 15 former desires in your ignorance: but according as he that hath called you, is holy, be ye also holy in all your 16 behaviour: because it is written, "Be ye holy; for I am 17 holy." And if ye call on the Father, who without re spect of persons judgeth according to every one's work, 18 pass the time of your sojourning here in fear: knowing that ye were not redeemed** with corruptible things, as with silver and gold, from your vain behaviour delivered 19 down by your fathers; but with the precious blood of 20 Christ, as of a spotless and unblemished lamb who was * i. e. yourselves. N. m. : i, e, the spirit which prophesied concerning Christ. See Lindsey's Seq. p. 281. us, N. and R. T. Perhaps the meaning of the apostle may be, that the messengers who are now em ployed to promulgate this glorious doctrine, cannot fully comprehend its import, and are desirous of improving their acquaintance with it. See Eph. iii. 18, 19. Gr. children of obedience. ** i. e. delivered from your former state of heathenism, prejudice, and vice, by the gospel; which was ratified with the blood of Christ. foreknown* indeed before the foundation of the world, 21 but was manifested in these last times for your sake, who by him believe in God that raised him from the dead, and gave him glory; so that your faith and hope are in 22 God. Having therefore purified your souls by obeying the truth [through the spirit] to unfeigned brotherlykindness, see that ye love one another with a pure heart 23 fervently; having been born again, not from corruptible seed but from incorruptible, by that word of God which 24 liveth and remaineth t. For "all flesh is as the herb, and all its glory as the flower of the herb: the herb 25 withereth, and its flower falleth off: but the word of the Lord remaineth for ever:" and this is the word which is preached to you by the gospel. CH. II. Wherefore lay aside all maliciousness, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil-speakings, and, 2 as new-born babes, earnestly desire the sincere spiritual 3 milk, that ye may grow thereby to salvation: since ye 4 have tasted that the Lord is kind. Coming to whom as : to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but elect and 5 honourable with God, ye also as living stones, being built up, are a spiritual temple, and an holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Je6 sus Christ. Wherefore it is contained in the scripture, "Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner-stone, elect, honourable and he that believeth on him || shall not be 7 ashamed." To you therefore who believe, he is honourable but to those who disbelieve, "that stone which the builders rejected, is become the head of the corner," 8 and "a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence," even to those who stumble at the word; disbelieving that to 9 which they were even appointed. But ye are an elect generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a pur : *Or, fore-appointed, N. m. † for ever. N. and R. T. Or, therein, N. ш chased people; that ye may shew forth the virtues of him who hath called you out of darkness into his wonder10 ful light who in time past were not a people*, but are now the people of God: who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. 11 Beloved, I beseech you as strangers and sojourners, to abstain from carnal desires, which war against the soul; 12 having your behaviour good among the gentiles: that, in whatsoever they speak against you as evil-doers, because of your good works which they have seen, they 13 may glorify God in the day of visitation. Submit your selves therefore to every appointment of man for the sake 14 of the Lord: whether it be to the king, as supreme; or to governors, as to them that are sent by him for the punishment of those who do evil, and for the praise of 15 those who do well. For so is the will of God, that by well-doing ye put to silence the ignorance of inconsi16 derate men: as free, and not using your freedom for a 17 cloke of wickedness, but as the servants of God. Honour all men love the brotherhood: fear God honour the king. 18 Servants †, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. 19 For this is well-pleasing‡, if a man for conscience toward 20 God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if, when ye are beaten for your faults, ye shall bear it patiently? But if, when ye do well and suffer, ye shall 21 bear it patiently, this is well-pleasing to God. For to this ye were called because even Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that ye should follow his 22 steps who did no sin, nor was guile found in his mouth; "This language is applicable to gentiles only. See also ch. i. 18. iv. 3." New come. + Gr. Domestics, N. m. Or, worthy of reward.-Luke vi. 33. Wakefield. N. m. f ye have been called: N. 23 who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, threatened not; but committed himself to him 24 that judgeth righteously: and himself bare our sins in his own body on the cross*, that we should die to sins, and live to righteousness: by whose stripes ye have been 25 healed. For ye were as sheep going astray; but ye are now turned to the shepherd and guardian † of your souls. CH. III. In like manner, ye wives, be subject to your own husbands; that, if any believe not the word, they also, without preaching the word, may be won by the beha2 viour of their wives; having seen your chaste behaviour 3 joined with reverence. Let not whose ornament be that outward one, of plaiting the hair, and of wearing gold, 4 or of putting on apparel; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, in the incorruptible ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which in the sight of God is of great price. 5 For thus the holy women also, who trusted in God, formerly adorned themselves, being subject to their own 6 husbands; as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him her lord and ye are her children while ye do well, and are not moved with any terror. 7 8 In like manner, ye husbands, dwell together with your wives according to prudence, giving honour to the woman as to the more infirm person¶, and as being jointheirs with her of the gift of life; that your prayers be not hindered. Finally, be all of the same mind, be compassionate, be full of brotherly kindness, be tenderly affectioned, be 9 humble-minded††: not rendering evil for evil, or reviling for reviling; but, on the contrary, uttering blessings : knowing that ye are hereunto called ‡‡, that ye may in Gr. tree, N. m. i, e. he removed them and carried them away: so Christ is said, Matt. viii. 17, "to bear our sicknesses," when he healed them by his miraculous power. + So N. m. Overseer, N. Or, bishop. which spirit, N. 10 herit a blessing. "For he that wisheth to love life, and to see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil; 11 and his lips, that they speak no guile. Let him avoid evil, and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. 12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayers: but the face of the Lord is 13 against those who do evil." And who is he that will 14 hurt you, if ye be zealous of that which is good*? But if ye even suffer for the sake of righteousness, happy are ye and be not struck with fear of them, nor be ye 15 troubled; but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts. [And] be always ready to make a defence, with meekness and reverence, to every man that asketh you a reason of 16 the hope which is in you: having a good conscience; that, in whatsoever they speak against you as evil-doers, they may be ashamed, who slanderously accuse your good 17 behaviour in Christ: for it is better that ye suffer, if the will of God be so, when ye do well, than when ye do 18 evil. For even Christ suffered once for sinst, the righ teous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God; being put to death indeed in the flesh, but restored to life 19 by the spirit: by which, after he was gone, he preached 20 to the spirits in prison ; who formerly disbelieved, when the long-suffering of God earnestly waited in the * Others read, imitators, N. m. See Griesbach. + Christ suffered for sin, not by bearing the punishment due to sin, but to introduce and ratify a dispensation, by which the idolatrous heathen would be admitted into covenant with God. See Heb. vii. 27, and the note there. i. e. By the holy spirit, which after his ascension (see ver. 22.) he communicated to his apostles, he preached to spirits, i. e. to persons in prison, to idolatrous heathen, the slaves of ignorance and vice: he thus proclaimed liberty to the captives; Isaiah xlii. 6, 7; xlix. 9. The Primate's version is, "by which also he went and preached to the spirits now in prison." See Mr. Lindsey's Sequel, p. 285, 286. He preached, not to the same individual persons, but to men like them, in the same circumstances, to the race of the gentiles, to the descendants of those who had formerly been disobedient, and refused the call of the spirit in Noah's time. But it was now very different. Many had been obedient. The apostle is contrasting the success of the gos pel with the unsuccessfulness of Noah's preaching under the direction of the same spirit of God. Lindsey, ibid. p. 288. when once the long-suffering of God waited, R. T. |