I. Ep. St. Peter Chap. 1. — Verse. 18.
For as much as you know, that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers.
It is impossible for a Christian to give himself to conform with the world's ungodliness, unless first he forget who he is, and by what means he attained to be what he is; therefore the Apostle persuading his brethren to holiness, puts them in mind of this, as the strongest incentive; not only have you the example of God set before you as your father, to beget in you the love of holiness, being your liveliest resemblance of him; and the justice of God as your Judge, to argue you into a pious fear of offending him; but consider this, that he is your Redeemer, he has bought out your liberty from sin, and the world to be altogether his, and think on the price laid down in this ransom, and these out of question will prevail with you.
We have here the evil dissuaded from, namely, a vain conversation. Second, the dissuasion itself. First, it is called their vain conversation. Second, received by tradition from their fathers. By this I conceive is not only understood the superstitions, and vain devices in religion, that abounded among the Jews by tradition, of which our Savior often reproved them while he was conversant among them, as we find in the Gospel, and all this was meant (verse 14) by the lusts of their former ignorance: but generally all the corrupt and sinful customs of their lives: for it seems not so pertinent to his purpose exhorting to holiness of life, to speak of their superstitious traditions as their other sinful habitudes, which are no less hereditary, and by the power of example traditional; which by reason of their common root in man's sinful nature, do so easily pass from parents to children, nature making their example powerful, and the corruption of nature giving [reconstructed: it] most power in that which is evil. And this is the rather mentioned to take away the force of it, and cut off that influence which it might have had into their minds; there is a kind of conversation that the authority of your fathers pleads for, but remember, that it is that very thing from which you are delivered, and called to a new estate and form of life, and have a new pattern set before you instead of that corrupt example.
It is one great error, not only in religion and manners, but even in human science, that men are ready to take things upon trust unexamined, from those that went before them, partly out of easiness, and sparing the pains of trial, partly out of a superstitious overesteem of their authority: but the chief reason why corruptions in religion, and practice of preceding ages, take so much with posterity, is that before mentioned, the universal sympathy, and agreement that those evils have with the corrupt nature of man.
The Prophet Ezekiel observes this particularly in the Jews (Ezekiel 20:24), that their eyes were after their fathers' idols, contrary to God's express forewarning (Ezekiel 20:18). This was the great quarrel of the heathens against the Christian religion in the primitive times, that it was new, and unknown to their fathers, and the ancient writers of those times are frequent in showing the vanity of this exception, particularly Lactantius, Institutes book 2, chapters 7 and 8. The same prejudice does the Church of Rome sing over continually against the Reformed religion: where was it before Luther, etc. But this is a foolish and reasonless diversion from the search of truth, because error is more at hand, or from the entertaining it being found, because falsehood is in possession.
As in religion, so in the course and practice of men's lives, the stream of sin runs from one age into another, and every age makes it greater, adding somewhat to what it receives, as rivers grow in their course, by the accession of brooks that fall into them, and every man when he is born falls like a drop into this main current of corruption, and so is carried with it down, and this by reason of its strength, and his own nature which willingly dissolves into it, and runs along with it. In this is manifest the power of divine grace in a man's conversion, that it severs him so powerfully from the profane world, and gives him strength to run contrary to the great current of wickedness, that is round about him, in his parents possibly, and in his kindred, and friends, and in the most of men that he meets with. The voice of God, that powerful word of effectual calling that he speaks into the heart, makes a man break through all, and leave all to follow God, as Abraham did, being called out from his kindred and father's house, to journey towards the land that God had promised him. And this is that which is spoken to the Church, and to each believing soul by the Spirit of God: Forget also your own people and your father's house, so shall the King greatly delight in your beauty; regard not what others think, though your nearest friends; but study only to please him, and then you shall please him indeed. Do not deform your face with looking out askance to the custom of the world, but look straight forward on him, and so you shall be beautiful in his eyes. When God calls a man in a remarkable manner, his profane friends are all in a tumult: what needs this, to be more precise than we, and all your neighbors? But all this is a confused noise, that works nothing on the heart that the Lord has touched; it must follow him, though by trampling upon friends and kindred if they lie in the way. We see how powerfully a word from Christ drew his disciples to leave all and follow him.
The exhortation is against all sinful and unholy conversation, by whatever authority and example recommended to us; the Apostle's reasons in those words are strong and pressing. There is one expressed in the very name he gives it: it is vain conversation.
The mind of man, the guide and source of his actions, while it is estranged from God, is nothing but a forge of vanities. The Apostle Saint Paul speaks this of the Gentiles, that they became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened (Romans 1:21). Their great naturalists and philosophers not excepted, and the more they strove to play the wise men, the more they befooled themselves. Thus likewise (Ephesians 4:17), and thus the Lord complains by his prophet of the extreme folly of his people (Isaiah 44:20), and by Jeremiah that their [reconstructed: hearts] are lodges of vain thoughts, and these are the true cause of a vain conversation.
The whole course of a man's life out of Christ, is nothing but a continual trading in vanity, running a circle of toil and labor, and reaping no profit at all. This is the vanity of every natural man's conversation, that not only others are not benefited by it, but it is fruitless to himself, there arises to him no solid good out of it. That is most truly vain, that attains not its proper end: now all a man's endeavors aiming at his satisfaction, and contentment, that conversation that gives him nothing of that, but removes him further from it, is justly called vain conversation. What fruit had you, says the Apostle, in those things of which you are now ashamed; either count that shame that (at the best) grows out of them, their fruit, or confess they have none, therefore they are called the unfruitful works of darkness.
Let the voluptuous person say it out upon his death-bed, what pleasure, or profit does then abide with him of all his former sinful delights. Let him tell if there remains any thing of them all, but that, that he would gladly not have to remain, the sting of an accusing conscience, which is as lasting as the delight of sin was short, and vanishing. Let the covetous, and ambitious, declare freely, even those of them that have prospered most in their pursuit of riches, and honor, what ease all their possessions, or titles do then help them to, whether their pains are the less, because their chests are full, or their houses stately, or multitude of friends, and servants, waiting on them with hat and knee, and if all these things cannot ease the body, how much less can they quiet the mind. And therefore is it not true, that all pains in these things, and the uneven ways into which they sometimes stepped aside to serve those ends, and generally that all the ways of sin, wherein they have wearied themselves, were vain rollings, and tossings up and down, not tending to a certain haven of peace and happiness, it is a lamentable thing to be deluded all a lifetime with a false dream (Isaiah 2:8).
You that are going on in the common road of sin, although many, and possibly your own parents have trod it before you, and the greatest part of these you now know are in it with you and keep you company in it; yet be persuaded to stop a little, and ask yourselves, what it is you seek, or expect in the end of it, would it not grieve any laboring man to work hard all the day, and have no wages to look for at night, it is a greater loss to wear out our whole life, and in the evening of our days find nothing, but anguish and vexation. Let us then think this, that so much of our life as is spent in the ways of sin, is all lost fruitless and vain conversation.
And in so far as the Apostle says here, you are redeemed from this conversation, this imports it a [reconstructed: servile] slavish condition, as the other word expresses it, to live fruitless. And this is the madness of a sinner, that he fancies liberty in that which is the basest thralldom, as those poor frantic persons that are lying ragged and bound in chains, yet imagine that they are kings, that their irons are chains of gold, their rags robes, and their filthy lodge a palace. As it is misery to be liable to the sentence of death, so it is slavery to be subject to the dominion of sin, and he that is delivered from the one is likewise set free from the other. There is one redemption from both. He that is redeemed from destruction by the blood of Christ, is likewise redeemed from that vain, and unholy conversation that leads to it. So (Titus 2:14), our Redeemer was anointed for this purpose, not to free the captives from the sentence of death, and yet leave them still in prison, but to proclaim liberty to them, and the opening of the prison to those that are bound (Isaiah 61:1).
You easily persuade yourselves that Christ has died for you, and redeemed you from hell, but you consider not, that if it be so, he has likewise redeemed you from your vain conversation, and both set you free from the service of sins. Certainly while you find not that, you can have no assurance of the other, if the chains of sin continue still upon you, for any thing you can know, these chains do bind you over to the other chains of darkness, the Apostle speaks of. Let us not delude ourselves, if we find the love of sin, and of the world work stronger in our hearts, than the love of Christ, we are not as yet partakers of his redemption.
But if we have indeed laid hold upon him, as our Redeemer, then are we redeemed from the service of sin, not only from the grossest profaneness, but even from all kind of fruitless, and vain conversation. And therefore ought to stand fast in that liberty and not entangle ourselves again to any of our former vanities.
Not redeemed with corruptible things] From the high price of our redemption the Apostle does mainly enforce our esteem of it, and the preservation of that liberty so dearly bought, and the avoiding all that unholiness, and vain conversation, from which we are freed by that redemption. 1. He expresses it negatively, not with corruptible things, (oh foolish we, that hunt them, as if they were incorruptible and everlasting treasures) no, not the best of them, these that are in highest account with men, not with silver and gold, these are not of any value at all towards the ransom of souls, they cannot buy off the death of the body, nor cannot purchase the continuance of temporal life, much less can they reach to the worth of spiritual and eternal life. The precious soul could not be redeemed but by blood, and by no blood but that of this spotless Lamb Jesus Christ, who is God equal with the Father. And therefore his blood is called the blood of God (Acts 20). So that the Apostle may well call it here precious, exceeding the whole world, and all things in it in value. Therefore frustrate not the sufferings of Christ, if he shed his blood to redeem you from sin, be not false to his end.
As of a Lamb without blemish.] He is that great and everlasting sacrifice that gave value and virtue to all the sacrifices under the law; their blood was of no worth to the purging away of sin, but by relation to his blood, and the laws concerning the choice of the Paschal Lamb, or other lambs for sacrifice, were but obscure and imperfect shadows of his purity and perfections, who is the undefiled Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. A Lamb in meekness, and silence, he did not open his mouth (Isaiah 53:7). And in purity, here, without spot or blemish. My well beloved, says the spouse, is white and ruddy, white in spotless innocence, and red in suffering a bloody death.
For as much as you know] It is that must make all this effectual, the right knowledge and due consideration of it: you do know it already, but I would have you know it better, more deeply and practically, turn it often over, be more in the study and meditation of it, there is work enough in it still for the discerningest mind, it's a mystery so deep that you shall never reach the bottom of it, and withal so useful that you shall always find new profit by it. Our folly is, we gape after new things and yet are in effect ignorant of the things we think we know best. That learned apostle that knew so much, and spoke so many tongues, yet I determined, says he, to know nothing among you, save Jesus Christ and him Crucified (1 Corinthians 2:2). And again he expresses this as the top of his ambition, that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable to his death; that conformity is this only knowledge. He that has his lusts unmortified, and a heart unweaned from the world, though he know all the history of the death and sufferings of Jesus Christ, and can discourse well of them, yet indeed he knows them not.
If you would increase much in holiness, and be strong against the temptations of sin, this is the only art of it, view much, and so seek to know much of the death of Jesus Christ. Consider often at how high a [reconstructed: rate] we were redeemed from sin, and provide this answer for all the enticements of sin and the world: except you can offer my soul something beyond that price that was given for it on the cross, I cannot hearken to you. Far be it from me (will a Christian say, that considers this redemption) that ever I should prefer a base lust, or anything in this world, or it all, to him that gave himself to death for me, and paid my ransom with his blood: his matchless love has freed me from the miserable captivity of sin, and has forever fastened me to the sweet yoke of his obedience. Let him alone to dwell and rule within me and let him never go forth from my heart, who for my sake refused to come down from the Cross.
