The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Peter — Section 168

euhordination, or e.e ministering to womanly vanity. Especially aro we to think of lbom e.s forbidden in thi8 aspect, that as immodest, or as encroachin,,. on time, or a~ heaping up expensfl, they form e. temptation to a wife to be undutifnf' to her husband. If she would gain him for what is good, s!ie must, without disregard of the lower ornamentation, show proper regard to the higher ornamentation. Let her adornin" be not a conspicuous style of the hair, or conspicuous jewels, or conspicuous apparel; "but let it be the hidden man of the heart--not that alone apart from moral characterization, but, while it has its seat in the heart, and is not attractive to the outward eye, let it be in and with tlte incorruptible. Plaited hair, jewels of gold, apparel, are subordinate as belonging to the category of the corruptible. The incorruptible in adorning that is singled out is a meek and quiet spirit. The first word points to not being easily provoked; the second word points to being in love with a quiet life. A Christian wife might have much to bear from her unenlightened husband, from his imperious temper, from his bad behaviour, from his neglect; she might have to bear from him on account of her religion; he might resent her choosing her own religion and (by implication) condemning his; but let her be meek under his wronging of her, and let her say or do nothing to cause dispeace. This in the sight of men may be a very poor ornament; she may seem to be regarding herself as no better than his slave. But God is also looking on the spirit which ~he is manifesting, and in his sight (which is its highest recommendation) it is of great price. The way God takes to overcome evil in us is, under our provocations, to heap goodness on us. If a Christian wife would conquer her unbelieving husband for Christ, she must in this imitate the Divine procedure. 4. Models of behaviour. (1) The holy women of old time. "For after this manner aforetime the holy women also, who hoped in God, adorned themselves, being in st.'bjection to their own husbands." In heathen mythology, Penelope, Andromache, Alcestis, are regarded as models of wifely excellence. But Peter, saturated with Old Testament ideas, does not fall back on Greek aforetime, but only on Old Testament aforetime. He sets up as models to those whom he is addressing tlte holy women, i.e. those who were in covenant with God, and whose conduct was conditioned by the holiness of God. This implied their being believers, and as believers they are further described as those who hoped in God, i.e. raised their expectation from what they believed God to be, and from what they believed God to promise. They looked forward to the coming of the Messiah, and to a future beyond death to be made glorious through his mission to earth. We have not much information as to t.he facts upon which Peter proceeds; but he plainly cer1ifies it of the holy women as a class, that they adorned themselves after this manner, i.e. with a meek and quiet spirit. They were kept from thinking about mere outward ornamentation, because they looked for something substantial from God. They did this as what was proper to them as subjected to their husbands. Instead of being self-assertive, they were compliant, under the impelling and also restraining of fear. The rule for the holy women of the New Testament time extending down to our day is not different from what was the rule for the holy women of the Old Testament time, resting as it does on a Divine appoint- ment in the earthly constitution. To the models set up by Peter we must add Clwistian models-women who, saturated with gospel ideas, have been adorned with that which in the s:ght of God is of great price. (2) Sarah. "As Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose children ye now are, if ye do well, and are not put in foar by any terror." 'l'he words founded on are to be found in Gen. xviii. 12. Sarah's calling Abraham her lord was not confined to the one occasion; it was chara.cterist;c of her, showed the habit of her mind toward her husband, and on that ground it is entitled to the weight which is here attached to it. The occasion was also closely connected with the history of redemption, bearing on the birth of Isaac. The apostle could not have found a better model; for Sarah was specially significant, even as Abraham was. If the one was father "of all them that believe though they be not circumcised," the other was mother. \Vhat constitutes daughterhood is liere not faith, but the evidencing of faith. It is, on the one hand, doing well. Sarnh did well in obeying Abraham, and also remarkably in that through faith" she received strergth to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised." It is, on the other hand, not doing evil, or, 11s it is htre put in the w:1y of cunscqnenco, not being put in fear by any terror. This was  164 THE FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF PETER. [on:, ru, 1-22,