The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Peter — Section 167

Christ and their new-found joys to themselves. They must tell, in the first pla.ce, those in whom they had the deepest interest the gospel of Christ, viz. that as mani- festing the Father's lo,e, and impelled by love himself, the Son of God did not eschew human nature, but in it lived a perfect human life and died o. death of ntonemmt for sin, to bring men out of their sins to a glorious life with himself which is never to know an end. 'l'his had been a source of unparalleled joy to them; and they told their hu~bands about Christ, because they wished them to be sharers with themselves lil thoir joy. The result might he the gaining of their husbands, i.e. first to Christ and the ad,~ncement of his king<lom, and then to themselves (to their deep and lastinrr satisfaction). It is one of Leigh ton's rich sayings," A soul converted is gained to itself gained to the pastor, or friend, or wife, or husband who sought it, and gained to Jesu: Christ; added to his treasury [and, we may add, to his instrumentality], who thoucrht not his own precious blood too dear to lay out for this gain." But the word of the gospel is not always obeyed. What if, with the telling and retelling of the Word (blessed and authoritative as it is), husbands do not obey the Word? What if the continued telling of the Word is only to be the occasion of domestic dispeace? Does the duty of subjection then cease? No; the duty of telling the Word then ceases, but not the duty of subjection. .Another method is to be tried by them, which may result in the gai[Jing of their husbands. This is behaviour without the Word; i.e. acting the gospel, or the silent influence of the lifo, especially the earnest endeavour to show what gospel subjection is. The hope is held out that this method may succeed where the other f,tils. If, then, a wife finds herself yoked to a husband who is not converted (whether she has been to blame for her position or not), her duty is with all earnest- ness to press the Word on him, but not to force it to no purpose but only to produce dispeace; her duty is to cease mentioning the disagreeable subject, and to try the method of the utmost excellence of Christian behaviour without the Word. The trial may be prolonged; but length will be forgotten if the Divine answer comes at last in the conversion of the husband. 3. Rules of behaviour. (1) Rule of purity. "Behold- ing your chaste behaviour coupled with fear." The feeling from which good wifely behaviour proceeds is fear. Wives are to have fear in the sense of reverence towards their husbands as placed over them in the Lord. They are also to have fear in the sense of shrinking from the not doing of all that is required in the relation. This limits the subjection in forbidding bad compliance, i.e. doing a wrong thing because the husband requires it. If a wife were required to give up her religion, it would be her duty not to obey out of regard to him to whom her husband is subject, and apart from whom he has no authority. But if wives feel that they a.re thus limited, they will be all the more anxious within the lawful sphere to do their duty. The quality of behaviour here fixed upon is chastity, which is to be understood in a certain wide sense. It is a word which is appropriate to wifely behaviour. ·women are especially endowed with feelings of mod,esty. In the married relation, while they bestow all love and nttcntion on their husbands, there will be nothing in word, in look, in dress, in act, inconsistent with what modesty requires. "Shamefacednes~" is the word used by Paul. 'l'o this, then, Christian wives are directed in dealing with their heathen husbands after the Word has been ineffectual. Let their husbands behold, see with their own eyes from day to day, their modest behaviour, springing out of the feeling which belongs to subjection; and when the Word-method has failed, this (especially when contrasted with the behaviour of heathen wives) may succeed. (2) Rule of a meek and quiet spirit. " Whose adorning let it not be the outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing jewels of gold, or of putting on apparel; but let it be the hidden man of the heart in the incorruptible apparel of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God ~f great price." The ru]e is expressed r,osi~i".ely in fi~rative lanizua~e. ~he negative may seem to be too literal. What has rel1g1on to do with the style of puttmg up the hair, or with what is put on the person? lt is a fallacy to suppose that there is any sphere from which religion is excluded. At the same time, religion docs not do violence to any natural feeling. It is implied here that it is natural for women to love to adorn themselves. .A wife who has not some regard for ornament in her house or person, who is plainntsB, if not a ~lattern, who has not e. flower to delight the eye, is not likely to have much influence with her husband even for Christianity. We rnnst, therefore, understand the apostle as forbiddin 6 the things mentioned without proper CH. m. 1--22.J THE FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF PE'fER. lf\3