be implied that the Spirit of Christ is also the Spirit of God the Father. The faithful, deeply feeling joy, experience the same Spirit sometimes as the Spirit of Glory and sometimes as the Spirit of God, in a different sense, the difference of which the Spirit itself reveals. — if l^ag avunaUrcu, rests upon you) That spirit is upon the righteous even before they suffer reproaches ; but then they are more confirmed on this very account, and receive more abundant conso- lations of the Spirit : Num. xi. 25, 26, snu nnaloaro In otvrovg rb nvtu/xa, the spirit rested upon them. — fiXctcpri/xeTrou, He is evil spoken of) namely, Christ. — &>ga£sra/, He is glorified) in the midst of your reproaches, ver. 16. He writes from his own experience. Comp. Acts v. 41.
15. 7 up, for not) The particle for gives the reason wdiy the Lord is glorified in those wrho suffer. For it presupposes that they have it as a settled principle in themselves, to wish to suffer in no other way than as Christians ; and not to commit anything contrary to this, which is deserving of punishment. There is a similar im- perative, ch. iii. 3. — oog (povsug, as a murderer) Disgraceful titles. — ^ ug dXXorp/oen/'tfxonog, as one who pries into the business of others) The particle as , repeated here only, makes a wide separation between the man who pries into the business of others, and the classes of evil-doers (here mentioned) ; but still it also distinguishes him from the Christian. Such are they who thrust themselves into business, wdiether public or private, sacred or civil, with which they have no concern, as though they were impelled by great prudence and faithfulness, and hatred of the wickedness of the world. Men of this kind often incur ill will from the wrorld, and more so than they deserve (especially from those in power, and who less readily endure just advisers and inspectors, than such as are like themselves) ; and thus they easily meet with suffer- ings. And this might especially happen in the case of heathen magistrates.
16. My a iaxwtffQu, let him not be ashamed) although the world is ashamed of shame. — Sogu^ercd, let him glonfy) Peter might have said, with the force of an antithesis, let him esteem it an honour to himself : but he teaches that the honour is to be resigned to God. Let him glorify God, who regards man as worthy of the honour of sufferings, and who at the same time bestows upon him a great benefit, to- gether wfith an exemption from the punishments of the wicked, which are about to come upon them. There is a similar antithesis in Psalm lxxix. 12, 13, Let our enemies be put to shame : let the Lord be