Part 3 (2/2)

And here it is well to remark, that St. Peter says, ye are ransomed from your vain conversation in the traditions of your fathers; for he thereby strikes to the ground all the supports whereon we lean when we imagine our view must be right because it has thus been preserved from of old, and our forefathers all of them have so held it, among whom there were certainly wise and pious people. It is as much as to say, all which our fathers have ordained and done, was evil; what from them has been taught you of the wors.h.i.+p of G.o.d, is also evil; for it has cost the Son of G.o.d His blood to redeem the people therefrom; whatever, therefore, has not been washed in this blood, is all poisoned and cursed by reason of the flesh. Thence it follows, the more a man undertakes to make himself righteous and has not Christ, the more only he confounds himself, and sinks deeper in blindness and wickedness, and condemns himself in respect to this precious blood.

External matters, important in themselves, are even trifling in comparison with this, that a man should teach how we may be justified by works, and devise a wors.h.i.+p of G.o.d according to our reason; for thereby the innocent blood is most deeply dishonored and reviled.

The heathen have committed many great sins, in that they have prayed to the sun and moon, which they held for the true wors.h.i.+p of G.o.d, though this was joined with other sins. But human justification (justification by human works) is mere reviling of G.o.d, and the greatest of all sins that a man commits. So, also, that mode of life wherewith the world is now busied and which it holds as the wors.h.i.+p of G.o.d, and piety, is in G.o.d's sight more provoking than any other sin, as is the priestly and monkish order, and which while it appears fair before the world, is yet without faith. Therefore whoever will not obtain favor before G.o.d through this blood, it were better for him that he should never come into G.o.d's presence, for he thereby only the more and more dishonors His Majesty.

V. 19. _As of an innocent and unspotted lamb._ But here St. Peter explains the Scripture,--for this though so short is an exceedingly rich Epistle,--since as soon as he had spoken of their vain course in the traditions of the fathers, he finds much instruction for us in the prophets--as in the prophet Jer. xvi.: ”The heathen shall come to you from the end of the world, and say, our fathers have gone astray with lies,” as though St. Peter had said, there the prophets foretold that ye should be redeemed from the tradition of your fathers.

So when he says here, ye are redeemed by the blood of Christ, as of an innocent and unspotted lamb, he would again refer to the Scripture, and explain that which is contained in the prophets and Moses--as Is. liii.: ”Like a lamb he is led to the slaughter.” So as to the type, Ex. xii., of the Paschal Lamb, all this he here explains, and says, this lamb is Christ; and as the one of old was to be unspotted, so must this, also, whose blood is shed for us, be unspotted and innocent.

V. 20. _Which indeed was provided previously, before the world began, but is revealed in these last times for you._ That is, we have not deserved nor even prayed this of G.o.d, that the precious blood of Christ should be shed for us, therefore we can glory in no respect; the glory belongs to none but G.o.d alone. G.o.d has promised and revealed or made known to us, not for any merit of ours, that which He from all eternity had provided and foreordained, before the world was made. In the prophets it is indeed promised, yet dimly and not openly; but now, since Christ's resurrection and the sending of the Holy Spirit, it is publicly preached and disseminated throughout the whole world.

This is now the latter age (the last time), as St. Peter says, wherein we live--now--from the ascension of Christ until the last day. So the Apostles and prophets, and Christ Himself, also, call it the last hour; not that the last day was to come immediately after Christ's ascension, but because after this preaching of the Gospel of Christ no other should ever come; and there will be no further revelation or manifestation, except as this is explained and revealed. One revelation after another has indeed gone forth.

Therefore G.o.d says, Ex. vi., ”By my name Jehovah was I not known to them.” For the patriarchs, although they knew G.o.d, yet at that time had not so clear a manifestation of Him as was afterwards put forth through Moses and the prophets; but now there has no more glorious or clear manifestation of Him come into the world than the Gospel.

Therefore it is the last; all dispensations have run their course, but the present,--the last,--which is revealed to us.

Besides, the time hereafter is not long to the end of the world, as St. Peter shows, II. Pet. iii., where he says: ”One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” And so he would lead us by this reckoning of time, to conclude, after G.o.d's method, that it is the last time, and that the end approaches, but the time which still remains is nothing in the sight of G.o.d. The salvation is already revealed and completed: G.o.d permits the world to stand yet longer, merely that His name may be more widely honored and praised, although He for Himself is now fully revealed.

V. 21. _For you, who through Him believe on G.o.d, who raised Him from the dead, and hath given Him dominion that your faith and hope might be in G.o.d._ For our sakes, he says, is the Gospel revealed. For G.o.d and the Lord Christ have not needed it, but have done it for our profit, that we might believe on them; and that, not through ourselves, but through Christ, who intercedes for us with the Father, whom He has raised from the dead, that He might be Lord over all things; so that whoever believes on Him possesses all His good things, and through Him has access to the Father. Thus we have faith in G.o.d, and a hope through the same faith. Faith alone must save us, but it must be a faith in G.o.d; for if G.o.d does not help us, then we are not holpen; so that it is not enough, although you had all men's friends.h.i.+p, but you must have the friends.h.i.+p of G.o.d, that you may boast that He is YOUR Father, and that you are His child, and confide in Him even more than in your beloved father and mother, that He will help you in all your troubles, and this only through the one Mediator and Saviour, the Lord Christ. Such faith comes not (he says) from human power, but G.o.d creates it in us, because Christ has merited it by His blood; to whom He has given glory, and whom He has seated at His right hand, that He, by G.o.d's power, should produce faith in us.

Hitherto we have heard St. Peter admonis.h.i.+ng us that we should gird up the loins of our mind, that we may remain undefiled and live in faith; then, also, that which meanwhile is so important, that we should walk in fear and never forget that we are called Christians, since G.o.d is a judge who respects none, but judges one like the other, without distinction of persons.

V. 22-25. _And purify your souls, through obedience of the truth in the Spirit, to unfeigned love of the brethren, and have fervent love toward one another, out of pure hearts, as those who have been born again, not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible, namely, of the living word of G.o.d, which endures forever. For all flesh is as gra.s.s, and all the glory of man like the flower of gra.s.s. The gra.s.s withereth and the flower thereof falleth away, but the word of the Lord endureth forever; and this is the word which is preached unto you._

Paul, in Gal. v., points out the fruits which follow faith. The fruits of the Spirit, he says, are joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. So St. Peter speaks here of the fruit of faith,--to wit, that we should purify our souls, through obedience to the truth in the Spirit. For where there is real faith it brings the body in subjection to itself, and controls the fleshly l.u.s.t; and although it does not entirely destroy it, yet it makes it subject and obedient to the Spirit, and holds it in check.

St. Paul implies the same thing when he speaks of the fruits of the Spirit. It is a great achievement that the Spirit should attain control over the flesh, and restrain the evil l.u.s.t which descends to us from our parents: for it is not possible that we should succeed without grace in leading a chaste life in the married state, to say nothing of the unmarried.

But why does he say then, purify your souls? He is well aware that the desires of the flesh remain with us after baptism, even to the grave. Therefore it is not enough that a person should refrain from works and remain pure outwardly, while he permits evil l.u.s.ts to cleave to his heart, but must thereafter beware that the soul be pure, as well as whatever proceeds out of the heart, and that the soul be opposed to these wicked l.u.s.ts and desires, and continually contend therewith, until it is free from their power.

And here he adjoins an excellent provision: that we should purify our souls,[3] _through obedience to the truth in the Spirit_. Much has been preached on chast.i.ty, and many books have been composed on the subject. They have said, we should fast for so long a time, we should not eat flesh, we should not drink wine, etc., that we may be free from temptation. These things may perhaps have aided somewhat to that end, but it has not been enough, it has not subdued l.u.s.t.

[Footnote 3: Make them chaste.]

So St. Jerome writes of himself, that he had mortified his body to such an extent that he had become like a Moor; still it had been of no avail, and he had dreamed of being at Rome at a revelry among harlots.

St. Bernard also subjected himself to such austerities, and so mortified his body that it became offensive, as I said above. They endured severe temptation, and purposed thus to subdue it by external methods. But since it is external, it is only an outward plaster, with no inward application. So that it does not suffice to subdue l.u.s.t.

But here St. Peter has prescribed an appropriate remedy,--namely, obedience to truth in the Spirit, as Scripture also has done in other places,--as Isaiah xi.: ”Faith shall be the girdle of his reins.”

This is the true plaster that girds the reins, for it must proceed from within outward, not from without inward. For it has penetrated into the flesh and blood, the marrow and other parts of the living system; it is not outward in the dress or clothing. Therefore it is not to be expected that we should subdue l.u.s.t with outward things; we may weaken the body and destroy it with fastings and labors, but the evil l.u.s.ts are not thereby banished; yet faith can subdue them, and guard them, that they shall be compelled to give the Spirit place.

So likewise speaks the prophet Zachariah, ix., of the wine which Christ has, whereby the pure grow, and of which he gives them to drink. Other wine usually invites to wicked l.u.s.t, but this wine,--that is, the Gospel,--subdues it, and makes the heart chaste.

This is what St. Peter speaks of when any one heartily embraces the truth, and is obedient to it in spirit. This is the true help and the most powerful remedy for it, since you will find none which can still all evil thoughts like it; for if this enters our hearts, evil inclinations quickly leave; let whoever will try it, he shall find it true, and whoever has tried it, knows it well; but the devil lets no one easily attain it, and comprehend the word of G.o.d so as to delight in it; for he well knows how powerful it is to subdue evil l.u.s.ts and thoughts.

St. Peter, therefore, would here say, if you would remain chaste, then must you render obedience to the truth in the Spirit, that is,--we must not only read and hear the word of G.o.d, but apprehend it in our hearts. Therefore it is not enough that a man should preach or hear the Gospel once, but he must ever press after it and persevere; for such grace does the word possess, that the more we taste it the more delightful it is; although there is, throughout, one and the same doctrine of faith, yet it cannot be listened to too much where the heart is not wanton and untamed.

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