The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Peter — Section 98

through which his grace pours, How can it enter if there be no channel P Faith ia the sole condition. Let us learn, then, how much and how little it takes to put us in possession of the preciousness of Christ. How much? Nothing lesa than the sur- render of our hearts to him in entire self-distrust and nbasement, and in absolute reliance on his all-sufficiency for our every need. How little? No external connection with Churches or Church ordinances ; no effort~ of ours after self-improvement nor fragmentary and partial goodness; but simply trnst in the Christ whom the gospel reveals. That faith must be a continually active faith. It is "you who believe," not " you who believed," to whom the preciousness belongs. 'l'he transference is continual, if the faith be continual. Every interruption of the latter causes a cessation in the former, and is marked by breaks like those on a telegraphic ribbon where the contact was suspended. Builders put a film of pitch between the foundations and the upper courses to keep the damp from rising. How often Christians put a film of impenetrable unbelief between Christ and themselves, so that his grace cannot rise in their hearts I III. THE GRIM ALTERNATH'E. If the condition of possession be as the apostle declares it, then the absence of the condition means non-possession. The freeness and simplicity of the gospel of salvation by faith has necessarily a dark under side, and the more clearly and joyfully the one is preached the more clearly and solemnly should the other be. Therefore Peter's message would not be complete without the awful "but" which follows. Christ is something to every man to whom he is preached, and does something to him. Mark how significantly the following clause varies the state- ment of the condition, substituting "disobedient" as the antithesis of II believing,• thereby teaching us that unbelief ~s disobedience, being an act of the rebel will, and that disobedience is unbelief. But observe, too, ihat while faith is the condition of all reception of Christ's blessings, unbelief does not so isolate from him as that he is nothing to the man. Unbelief, like some malignant alchemy, perverts all Christ's preciousntss to harm and loss, as some plants elaborate poison in their tissues from sunshine and sweet dews. One thing or other that great Saviour must bo to us all. We canuot stand wholly unaffected by him. We cannot make ourselves as if we had never heard of him. There is a solemn alternative offered to each of us-" Either ••• or." Either our life, being received. or being rejected-our death. There wiil coille to .ill from him either the gracious influences which i;ave, or the terrible ones which destroy. He is either the merciful Fire which cleanses and transforms, or the awful Fire which consumes. Faith builds on him as the Foundation, and is secure. Unbelief pulls down that Rock of offence on its own head, and is ground to powder by the fall.-.A. M. Ver. 9 (last clause).- What the (Jhurch is for. "This people have I formed for myself," says the Divine voice through the Prophet Isaiah; 11 they shall show forth my praise." The Revised Version gives the latter clause as the purpose of the former, "that they might set forth," thus showing still more distinctly a verbal correspond- ence with the text, which is evidently quoted from the prophet. 'l'he apostle's mind is full of the Old Testament representations of the sacred office and dignity of Israel as a royal priesthood and God's chosen possession, and he transfers the whole without hesitation to the Christian Church, which he, like all the New Testament writers, regards as the heir oi: Israel's . forfeited poRition. ~'he remark:i,ble wo_rd rendered ••praise" in the .Authonzed Version makes the quotation from Isaiah unmistakable, as it is found in the Septuagint rendering of the verse, from which the apostle is quoting. It literally means "virtues," or, if that word is felt to be inappropriate to the Divine nature the translation of the Revised Version, "excellencies," may be adopted. In either ~ase the meaninu is that the great end of the Church's existencii is to manifest the ~lories of the Div~e character, and so to praise him. We praise Go<l best when we set forth what he is. 'l'he act of praise follows on the exhibition of the Object of prai,e. I. WE EAVE EERE A REMARKABLE VIEW OF TIIE GREAT PURPOSE OF Gon IN Hl8 IIIGHEBT WORKING. The manifestation of bis own character that his creatures may ~ee it and magnify him, is bis end, so far as we can speak of God as having ends which he reaches by Lis acts. Self-manifestation to creatures who can somewhat feel th,e, infiuite beauty and bow adoring and blessed before it, is his supreme purpose in all hls acts. Such an end alone is fully congruous with and worthy of God. For thl1 en. n. 1-25.J THE FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF PETER. 93