The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Peter — Section 14

rovolo.tion. That Blllvation wo.s so mllgnifl- Whntwonld ho the diatinctivo charadcr, th,, oont o prospeot that it ooncentmted upon marks, the sign~, of tho.t time?,~ "Prnph0tm iteolf the re.pt attontion o.nd deepest interoet nb ipso hahentes donum in ilium pr0- of those to whom the promise w11e reveo.led. phelarnnt" (' Ep. Barnab.,' c. 5). When it Prophete inquired 11ncl seo.lched diligontly. testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, 'l'ho revelotion wo.e roo.l, but it was not com- and the glory that should follow; rather, plote, not distinct in its de to.ii e. Goel revealed the ~ufferings for Christ (destined for Obrist), so muoh of the coming eo.lvation ns wo.s anrl the g/,ories after the,e. Compnre :St. eullicient to support hie servants in their Pe~er's speech (Acts iii. 18)," Thoso thin.z.s trio.le, and to quicken their fo.ith in the which Goel before had showed by the mouth ll'Ieeeie.h. Prophete sea.robed diligently, e.s of a.11 his prophets, that Christ shoul,I suffer, miners seeking tree.sure; they pre.yed, e.nd he he.th so fulfilled." So St. Paul, in his thought, e.nd medite.ted, and exercised all speech before King Agrippa (Acts xxvi. 22, their intellectual energies in the effort to 23), asserts that he had said "none other comprehend the revelation which had been things than those which the prop bets and vouchee.fed to them. De.niel was e. remarkable Moses did se.y should come: that Christ exe.mple of this see.rching (Dan. vii. 16; ix. should suffer, and that he should be the first 2, 3). The revelation came to the prophet that should rise from the dead." The doctri1w from God; the prophet received it, but could of a suffering Messiah was a stumbling-block not comprehend it in o.11 its depth and to the Jews. The apostles could not under- height-he searched diligently. stand it till e.fter the Saviour's resurrection; Peter himself had recoiled from it witl, "Thoughts beyond their thoughts horror, and had bee-a rebuked by the Lord To those high bards were given." (' Christie.n Yee.r,') (Matt. xvi. 22, 23) ; now, taught by the Spirit, he understands the foreshadowing-s of (Compare the song of Ze.che.riae, Luke i. 68- the snfferings of Christ, which the Spirit of 79.) Who prophesied of the graoe thatshould Christ had testified to the prophets. The come unto you. He defines the prophets, of Lord himself had expounded, on the day of whom he speaks us those who prophesied of his resnrrection, the things concerning him- the favour of God manifested in the redemp• self, beginning at Moses and all the prophets: tion of mankind through his blessed Son. "Ought not Christ," he said, "to have ''Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ" suffered these thinga, and to enter into hia (John i. 17). St. Paul loved to dwell on the glory?" (Luke xxiv. 26). Some think that gl'llce of God: eo did St. Peter. St. Peter is referring mainly to the prophets Ver. 11.-See.rching what, or what manner of the New Testament, and that the wonls, of time the Spirit of Christ whioh was in " the sufferings of Christ," are to be un,:er- them did signify; or, as the Revised Version, stood mystically of Christ suffering in his did point unto. The Authorized Version Church, as "the afflictions of Christ" in neglects the preposition •lr. The apostle Col. i. 24. But the context does not requim says that the Spirit of Christ dwelt in the this explan(ltion, and the parallel passages prophets. The words -rrv•uµa. XpurToii cannot quoted above seem to preclude it. mean "the Spirit which bee.re witness of Ver. 12.-Unto whom it was revea.led, that Christ," as Bengel and others. The Holy not unto themselves, but unto us they dll1 Spirit is the Spirit of Christ (see Rom. viii. minister the things. It was revealed to them, 9; Gal. iv. 6). He is not only sent from the whether in answer to their search us in the Father by the Son, but he proceedeth from case of Daniel, or as part of the original the Father and the Son. This important revelation made to them, that tho vision statement involves also the pre-existence was for many days (Dan. x. 14). Compa.ro and the Divinity of Christ (comp. John St. Petcr's quotationa from the prophetic viii. 56, 58: I Cor. x. 4; Jude 5, in the best- Scriptures in Acts ii. 17, 31; iii. 21. 'fhe best supported reading). The prophets felt with- ma.nuscripts read here, "unto you." 'l'ilc in them the working of the Spirit. They prophets, doubtless, like Abraho.m, rejoiced knew that the mysterious voice which filled to see the day of Christ; they saw it by their souls was his voice. Its utterances were faith, and were glad (John viii. 56); but not alwo.ys clear: they were sometimes they so.w it in the for disto.nce; they n.esirecl obsouro and mystical, but the heart of the to see nnd hear what tile apostles saw ancl prophets was stirred to the utmost; they heard, but the time was not yet (see l\Iatt. sought with earnest pro.yer and devout xiii. 16, 17). They did minister the things; thought into the purposes of God announced i.e. they were made the instruments of reveal- in the revelatio~ Especio.lly they asked, ing thorn; they presented them to the devout as the apostles asked the Lord on tho l\Iount for their spiritual food and support[' Which of Olives, "When shall these things be, and are now reported unto you by them that what slmll bo the sign of thy coming?" At have pr2aohod the gospal unto you with tho what timo would the Messi(lh be revenled? Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; mtlwr,  8 THF. FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF PETER, [oH. 1. 1-25,