The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Peter — Section 15

u•h ich t!'ere noir reported to you through them of his responsibilities; he must seek to love tlwt preached f.he gospel unto you (liternlly, God with &ll his mind (8.\71 ,,.fi 3,avo('i'), 118 ev11119elized yrm) by tM Holy Ghost. St. well &s with &ll his heart and soul. Be reter o!Aims for those who evangelized Asil\ 1ober. The Christiau must bo sober in his usa lllinor (St. Paul and his oomp1mions) the of the gifts of God; he must be sober 11lso in s,,me Authority which wns possessed by the his habits of thought; he should preserve o. anoient prophets; they preached 68 fulfilled oalm, collected temper. Christi au euthusiasm the great truths which the prophets foretold should be thoughtful, not excited n.nd dis- as future. The Spirit of Christ WI\S in the orderly ( comp. 2 These. ii. 2; iii. 11, 12). prophets ; the same Spirit worked &nd And hope to the end; rather, perfectly, with e. preached through the apostles; n&y, he full, unwavoring,constant hope. It is better dwelt in them in fuller meBSnre, for he had to take the adverb ,,..11.dws with the verb been sent down from heaven on the great "hope" than with vf,~v-ru, "be perfectly Day of Pent.ooost, and it was by his aid that sober." For the gro.oe that is to be brought the apostles and evangelists preached. unto yon at the revelation of J'esns Christ, Whioh things the angela desire to look into. The Christi&n's hope must be directed to, set The salvation which God's elect receive is towards (brl with accusative), the continu&l so full of glory and myet.erious beauty, thn.t growth in grace(" He giveth more gr&ce," not only did the prophets of old search JBS. iv. 6). Th&t grace is being brought diligently, but even angels(there is no&rticle) now, being borne in upon the soul in tho desire to look into it. The verb ,rapa,d,,i,,11 present revelation of J esns Christ. " It means " to stoop sideways ; " it is used of pleased God," says St. Paul (Ga.I. i. 16), "to persons standing outside a place who stoop reveal his Son in me." So now the Lord in order to look in. " The ,rapri of the verb," manifests himself to those who walk in the says Ruther, "indicates that the angels stand path of loving obedience. Each gift of grace out.aide the work of redemption, inasmuch kindles the hope of a nearer m&nifeste.tion, W! it is not for them, but for me.n (cf. Beb. a fuller revelation; grnce is continually ii. 16)." The same verb occurs in J as. i. 25 ; brought, till e.t length the full unspeakable John XL 5, 11; Luke xxiv. 12, in which gift of graoe is realized at the glo1ious last plaoo it is used of Peter himself, when revelation of Jesus Christ 11t his second he stooped to look into the empty sepnlchre on advent. This seems better than to give the the morning of the Lord's resurrection. St. present participle <fi•paµ.lv1/V 6 future sense, Paul has a similar thought in Eph. iii. 10, and to understand the revelation of Jesus '' To the intent that now unto the princi- Christ only of his fin&! coming in glory. palities and powers in heavenly places might Ver. 14.-As obedient ohildren; rather, be known by the Church the manifold children of obedience ( comp. Eph. ii. 2, 3; wisdom of God." The n.ttitnde of the golden v. 8 ; also 2 Pet. ii. 14 ; 2 Thess. ii. 8: cherubim, whose wings covered the mercy- Luke xvi. 8). Winer says (' Gr&mmar,' iii. seat and whose faces were toward it (Exod. x.xxiv.; 'Rem.,' 2), "This mode of expression XXt". 20), seems to imply the same r&pt, is to be traced to the more lively imagination reverent attention. of the Orient&ls, by which the moat intimate Ver. 13.-Wherefore gird up the loins of connection (derivation from e.nd dependence your mi.n.d. St. Peter sums up in the word on)-even when the reference is to what is " wherefore" ell the blessings, privileges, not material-is viewed under the im11ge of and hopes which he Las enumerated; on the relation of son or child to parent. Hence these he founds his exhortations. Gird up. •children ofdisobedience' Bre those who belong The word liva(wrrri.µ.oo, (literally, "girding to disobedience as a "hild to his mother-dis- up, tucking np long garments by the help obedience having become their nature, their of a girdle ") occurs in no other place of the predominant disposition." Not fashioning New Testament. But the same metaphor, yourselves according to the former lusts in expressed in similar words, is common. St. your ignoranoe. The rem&rk&ble word rrurrx11· Peter e.lludes, doubtless, to the Lord's ex- µ.a:ra(oµ.evo, seems to be an echo of Rom. xii. hortation, "Let your loins be girded about;" 2, the only other pl&ce where it occurs. It perhaps also the solemn words of John :u:i. implies that men who live in sensu&l lustste.ke 18, "signifying; by what death he should up the likeness of those lusts into themselves, glorify God," were present to his thoughts. and Bre made, not as m&n was &t first, after Tiu loim of 11our mind. St. Peter often the likeness of God, but &fter the likeness explains e. metaphor by adding 6 genitive or of those lm,ts of the flesh which are not of u<ljecii ve; so " milk of the Word;" "hidden the Father, but are of the world. The word IJJ,.n of the heart; " "ame.ranthine wreath of '' ignor&nce " is to be ta.ken closely with glory." L>.ufvou,, translated "mind," is the " lusts"-" the former lusts which were in rdlectivefacnlty. The Christi&n must reflect, the time of your ignorance." It seems to and that with intense exertion of thought, imply that St. Peter is addressing Gentiles un ihe glory of his hopes, on the greatness as well as Jews; for, though ignomnce is on. 1. 1-26.J THE FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF PETER. 9