1 Peter 1:1
Peter an Apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.
The grace of God in the heart of man is a tender plant in a strange unkindly soil, and therefore cannot well prosper and grow without much care, and pains, and that of a skillful hand, and that has the art of cherishing it; for this end, has God given the constant ministry of the Word to his Church, not only for the first work of conversion, but also for confirming, and increasing of his grace in the hearts of his children.
And though the extraordinary ministers of the gospel, the apostles, had principally the former for their charge, the converting of unbelievers, Jews and Gentiles, and so the planting of churches; to be after kept, and watered by others, as the apostle intimates (1 Corinthians 3:6), yet did they not neglect the other work of strengthening the begun grace of God in the new converts of those times, both by revisiting them, and exhorting them in person as they could, and by the supply of their writing to them when absent.
And the benefit of this extends (not by accident, but by the purpose, and good providence of God) to the Church of God in all succeeding ages.
This excellent epistle (full of evangelical doctrine and apostolic authority) is a brief, and yet very clear summary both of the consolations and instructions needful for the encouragement and direction of a Christian in his journey to heaven, elevating his thoughts, and desires to that happiness, and strengthening him against all opposition in the way, both that of corruption within, and temptations and afflictions from without.
The heads of doctrine contained in it are many, but the main that are most insisted on are these three: faith, obedience, and patience. To establish the believing, to direct them in doing, and comfort them in suffering; and because the first is the groundwork and support of the other two, this first chapter is much in that, persuading them of the truth of that mystery they had received and did believe, namely their redemption and salvation by Christ Jesus; that inheritance of immortality bought by his blood for them, and the evidence and stability of their right and title to it.
And then he uses this belief, this assurance of the glory to come, as the great persuasive to the other two, both to holy obedience, and constant patience, since nothing can be too much either to forgo, or undergo, either to do, or to suffer for the attainment of that blessed state.
And as from the consideration of that object, and matter of the hope of believers, he encourages to patience, and exhorts to holiness in this chapter in general, so in the following chapters, he expresses more particularly, both the universal, and special duties of Christians, both in doing and suffering, often setting before them to whom he wrote, the matchless example of the Lord Jesus, and the greatness of their engagement to follow him.
In the two first verses, we have the inscription and salutation, the usual style of apostolic epistles.
The inscription has the author and the address, from whom, and to whom. The author of this epistle is designed by his name Peter, and his calling an apostle.
We shall not insist upon his name, that it was imposed by Christ, and what is its signification, this the evangelists teach us (John 1:42; Matthew 16:18, etc.).
By that which is spoken of him in diverse passages of the gospel, he is very remarkable among the apostles, both for his graces, and his failings, eminent in zeal and courage, and yet stumbling often in his forwardness, and once grossly falling, and these by the providence of God being recorded in Scripture, give a check to the excess of Rome's conceit concerning this apostle; their extolling and exalting him above the rest is not for his cause, and much less to the honor of his Lord and Master Jesus Christ, for he is injured and dishonored by it; but it is in favor of themselves, as Alexander distinguished his two friends, that the one was a friend of Alexander, the other a friend of the King. That preferment they give this apostle is not in good will to Peter, but in the desire of primacy. But whatever he was, they would be much in pain to prove Rome's right to it by succession. And if ever it had any such right, we may confidently say, it has forfeited it long ago by departing from St. Peter's footsteps, and from his faith, and retaining too much those things wherein he was faulty, namely,
His [reconstructed: unwillingness] to hear of, and consent to Christ's sufferings, his "Master, spare yourself," or "far be it from you," — in those they are like him, for thus they would disburden and exempt the Church from the cross, from the real cross of afflictions; instead of that, have nothing but painted, or carved, or gilded crosses, these they are content to embrace, and worship too, but cannot endure to hear of the other. Instead of the cross of affliction, they make the crown or mitre the badge of their church, and will have it known by prosperity, and outward pomp, and so turn the Church Militant into the Church Triumphant, not considering that it is Babylon's voice, not the Church's: "I sit as a queen and shall see no sorrow."
Again his saying on the Mount at Christ's Transfiguration, when he knew not what he said — "It is good to be here" — so they have little of the true glory of Christ, but the false glory of that monarchy on their seven hills; "It is good to be here," say they.
Again in their undue striking with the sword, not the enemies, as he, but the faithful friends, and servants of Jesus Christ; but to proceed.
We see here St. Peter's office, or title: an Apostle, not Chief Bishop. Some in their glossing have been so impudent as to add that beside the text. Though Chapter 5:4 he gives that title to Christ alone, and to himself only fellow elder, and here not Prince of the Apostles, but an Apostle, restored and reestablished after his fall, by repentance, and by Christ himself after his own death and resurrection (John 21). Thus we have in our Apostle, a singular instance of human frailty on the one side, and of the sweetness of divine grace on the other. Free, and rich grace it is indeed, that forgives and swallows up multitudes of sins, of greatest sins, not only sins before conversion as to St. Paul, but foul offences committed after conversion, as to David, and to this Apostle, not only once raising them from the dead, but when they fall, stretching out the same hand, and raising them again, and restoring them to their station, and comforting them in it by his free Spirit, as David prays — not only to cleanse polluted clay, but to work it into vessels of honor, yes of the most defiled shape, to make the most refined vessels, not vessels of honor of the lowest sort, but for the highest and most honorable services, vessels to bear his own precious name to the nations; making the most unworthy and the most unfit, fit by his grace, to be his messengers.
Of Jesus Christ.) Both as the beginning, and end of his apostleship, as Christ is called Alpha and Omega (Revelation 2:11). Chosen and called by him, and called to this, to preach him, and salvation wrought by him.
Apostle of Jesus Christ.) Sent by him, and the message no other but his name, to make that known, and what this apostleship was then; after some extraordinary way, befitting these first times of the gospel, that is now, the ministry of the word in ordinary, and therefore an employment of more difficulty and excellence than is usually conceived by many, not only of those that look upon it, but even of those that are exercised in it, to be ambassadors for the greatest of kings, and upon no mean employment, that great treaty of peace and reconciliation between him and mankind (2 Corinthians 5:20).
This Epistle is directed to the elect who are described here, by their temporal, and by their spiritual conditions. The first has very much dignity, and comfort in it, but the other has neither, but rather the contrary of both, and therefore the Apostle's intent, being their comfort, he mentions but the one in passing, to signify to whom particularly he sent his Epistle; but the other is that which he would have their thoughts dwell upon, and therefore prosecutes it in his following discourse, and if we look to the order of the words, their temporal condition is but interjected, for 'tis said, to the elect, first, and then to the strangers scattered, etc. And he would have this as it were drowned in the other, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father.
That those dispersed strangers that dwelt in the countries here named, were Jews, appears, if we look to the foregoing Epistle, where the same word is used, and expressly appropriated to the Jews (James 1:1). And (Galatians 2) St. Peter is called an Apostle of the Circumcision, as exercising his apostleship most towards them, and there is in some passages of the Epistle, somewhat that though belonging to all Christians, yet has in the strain and way of expression a particular fitness to the believing Jews, as being particularly verified in them, which was spoken of their nation (1 Peter 2:9-10).
Some argue from the name strangers that the Gentiles are here meant, which seems not to be; for proselyte Gentiles were indeed called strangers in Jerusalem, and by the Jews; but were not the Jews strangers in these places, Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia? Not strangers dwelling together in a prosperous flourishing condition, as a well-planted colony, but strangers of the dispersion, scattered to and fro, and their dispersion which was partly, first by the Assyrian Captivity, and after that the Babylonian, and by the invasion of the Romans, and it might be in these very times increased by the believing Jews fleeing from the hatred, and persecution that was raised against them at home.
These places here mentioned through which they were dispersed, are all in Asia. So Asia here is Asia the lesser. Where it is to be observed, that some of these who heard St. Peter (Acts 2) are said to be of those regions. And if any of those then converted were among these dispersed, the comfort was no doubt the more grateful from the hand of the same Apostle by whom they were first converted, but this is only conjecture. Though divine truths are to be received equally from every minister alike, yet it must be acknowledged that there is something (we know not what to call it) more acceptable reception of those who at first were the means of bringing men to God than others, like the opinion some have of physicians whom they love.
The Apostle comforts these strangers of this dispersion by the spiritual union which they obtained by effectual calling, and so calls off their eyes from their outward dispersed and despised condition, to look above that, as high as the spring of their happiness, the free love, and election of God. Scattered in the countries, and yet gathered in God's election, chosen or picked out, strangers to men among whom they dwelt; but known, and foreknown to God, removed from their own country to which men have naturally an unalterable affection but made heirs of a better, as follows verse 3 and 4. And having within them the evidence both of eternal election, and that expected salvation, the Spirit of holiness, verse 2. At the best a Christian is but a stranger here, set him where you will, as our Apostle teaches after, and 'tis his privilege, that he is so, and when he thinks not so, he forgets and disparages himself, and descends far below his quality when he is much taken with anything in this place of his exile.
But this is the wisdom of a Christian: when he can solace himself against the meanness, and any kind of discomfort of his outward condition with the comfortable assurance of the love of God, that he has called him to holiness, given him some measure of it, and an endeavor after more, and by this may he conclude, that he has ordained him to salvation. If either he is a stranger where he lives, or as a stranger deserted of his friends, and very near stripped of all outward comforts, yet may he rejoice in this, that the eternal unchangeable love of God that is from everlasting to everlasting is sealed to his soul. O what will it avail a man to be compassed about with the favor of the world, to sit unmolested in his own home and possessions, and to have them very great and pleasant, well moneyed, and landed, and befriended, and yet estranged and severed from God, not having any token of his special love.
To the Elect,] The Apostle here denominates all the Christians to whom he writes by the condition of true believers, calling them Elect and sanctified, etc. And the Apostle Saint Paul writes in the same style in his Epistles to the churches, not that all in these churches were such indeed, but because they professed to be such, and by that their profession, and calling as Christians, they were obliged to be such, and as many of them as were in any measure true to that their calling, and profession were really such. Besides it would seem not unworthy of consideration that in all probability there would be fewer false Christians, and the number of true believers usually greater, in the churches in those primitive times, than now in the best reformed churches, because there could not then be many of them that were from their infancy bred in the Christian faith, but for the greatest part, were such, as being of years of discretion, were by the hearing of the Gospel, converted from Paganism and Judaism to the Christian religion first, and made a deliberate choice of it, to which there were at that time no great outward encouragements, and therefore the less danger of multitudes of hypocrites, which as vermin in summer, breed most in the time of the church's prosperity. Though no nation or kingdom had then universally received the faith, but rather hated and persecuted it, yet were there even then among them, as the writings of the Apostles testify, false brethren, and inordinate walkers, and men of corrupt minds, earthly minded, and led with a spirit of envy and contention, and vainglory.
However the question that is moved concerning the necessary qualifications of all the members of a true visible church, can no way (as I conceive) be decided from the inscriptions of the Epistle, but certainly they are useful to teach Christians, and Christian churches what they ought to be, and what their holy profession requires of them, and sharply to reprove the gross unlikeness, and inconformity that is in the most part of man, to the description of Christians. As there be some, that are too strict in their judgment concerning the being, and nature of the visible church; so certainly the greatest part of churches are too loose in their practice.
From the dissimilitude between our churches, and those, we may make this use of reproof. That if an Apostolical Epistle were to be directed to us, it behooved to be inscribed to the ignorant, profane, malicious, etc. As he, who at the hearing of the Gospel read, said, Either this is not the Gospel, or we are not Christians. So either these characters, given in the inscription of these Epistles, are not true characters, or we are not true Christians.
