The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Peter — Section 129

etnnd the Christian position (rather than to malice). H was not the quiet voice of wisdom, but rather the loud voice of foolishness. The Christians were really the greatest friends of order, ~~d it was not only their interest but their recognized duty to occupy ~o doubtful position towarcl the Roman state. It was a direction to ancient Israel in captivity in Babylon, "Seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray unto the Lord for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace." Paul gives directions even to give thanks for kings and for all that are in authority. So it is here declared to be not good policy, but the will of God (which should have the highest power to influence), that by well-doing, i.e. specially by the greatest exemplariness in keeping the laws, they should put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. V. PRINCIPLE CONDITIONING LIBERTY. "As free, and not using your freedom for a cloke of wickedness, but as bondservants of God." ,ve should rather read" malice" and "servants." It is against good interpretation to bring in here Christian freedom in general. We are free specially in relati0n to the state. We are free to obey, or not to obey, the laws of the land. We are free to aspire after better conditions for the state. But we are not to allow our freedom to degenerate into licence. ,ve are not to use it as a pretext for gratifying our private revenge. ,v e are not to use it as a cloke underneath which we strike at established authority. How, then, are we to find the right course? It is by this consi<leration, that we are servants of God, and bound by his laws. And if the laws of the land require wh,\t his Jaws forbid, or forbid what his laws require, our duty is to refuse oLedience to them. We have an example of the latter in the refusal of the apostles to cease teaching in the name of Christ. When brought before the authorities for breaking the laws, they sai<l, "We ought to obey God rather than man." They were willing to take the consequences, but they would not cease preaching Christ. However much we are in love with order, are willing to be subject to the ordinance for the Lord's sakP, there is limitation. If a government were to seek to impose on us a form of religion of which in our con- science we did not approve, our choice would lie between suffering and exercising such power as we had. And if we as citizens had the power we believe that it would only be according to the mind of God that we should u:;e it to overthrow the tyranny -the higher consideration in this, as in many cases, overruling the lower. VI. SURROUNDINGS OF THE DUTY OF SUllJEC'l'ION. 1 . .All men. "Honour all men." We must understand the worst of men as included. The ground of the honour is the worth which essentially belongs to humanity by its Divine constitution. We are made in the image of God, made to think of God aud to do the will of God, made fur God and immortality. The form in which Kant puts it is the following: •· No m3n can be employed, neither by others nor by himself, as a mere instrument, but is always to be regarded as an end. And as he cannot dispose of himself for any price (which ,vould be subversive of his own self-re,,erence), neither is he at liberty to derogate from the equally necessary self-reverence of others as meu; i.e. be is obliged practically to recognize the dignity of every other man's humanity, and so stands under s duty based on that reverential observance which is necessarily to be demonstrate<l towards every other person." Desiclcs this essential worth, there is supemdded worth in the fact of the Incarnation. "The religion of Christ is a testimony to the worth of man in the sight of God, to the importance of human nature, to the infinite purposes for which we were framed. God is there set forth as sending to the succour of the human family his Beloved Son, the bright image and representation of his own perfections; and sending him, not simply to roll away a burden of pain and punishment, but to create man after the Divine image, to purify the soul from every stain, to communi- cate to it power over evil, to open before it immorta!ity as its aim and destinatiou. And these blessings it proffers, not to the few, 1;ot to the educate,!, not tu the eminent, but to all human beings, to the poorest and the most fallen. Ilonour, then, man from the beginning to the end of his earthly course. Honour t.he child. Welcome in to being the infant, with a feeling of its mysterious grandeur, with the feeling that an immortal f'Xistence has begun, that a spirit has been kindled which is never to be quenched. Honour the child. On this principle all good education rests. Never shall we lc:iru to train up the child till we take it in our arms, as Jesus did, and fed distinctly that • of such is the kingdom of heaven.' Honour the roor. This sentiment of respect 124 THE FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF PETER. Cea. u.1-26.