The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Peter — Section 198

endure the " spoiling of their goods ; " but there was to be a place at the table and a room for the stranger who needed food and rest. Love speaks-not always, does not obtrude itself, but where there is an erring step or a listening ear, love speaks. 2. It i& reciprocal. Each has his own gift, his own power of doing good; _there is not a si-Bgle member of Christ's Church who is to be receptive only; for every gift each receives from· another there is another he can give. This is the law, "By love serve one anotliier;" "Edifying one another in love;" "We being many are one body, and every one members one of another." All receiving, all bestowing, and doing both in love, that is God's ideal of the Church on earth. 3. It recognizes that it holds all as stewards /OT' God. " As good stewards of the manifold grace of God." That raises our thoughts from the human to the Divine obligation; it calls us to the duty of love of the brethren, by reminding us of the claims of a higher love still. Sometimes our love to the brethren is not enough to constrain us to these tasks; self-love is strong within us, and some- times our effort may be repulsed and our desire chilled by a cold response. It is unspeakably hard to get over the feeling, if one will not love he shall not be loved. But here is the antidote to that-the apostle says we are to exercise our gifts with a view to God; service we could not render to others for their own sakes we can render for him. Ill. THE END OF CHRISTIAN LOVE IS THE GLORIFYING OF GOD THROUGH JESUS, CHRIST, The possession and manifestation of Christian love glorifies God, and in so many ways. 1. In the manifestation of what most honours him amO'T!gst mfl1!. We· think of 1 Cor. xiii. as the creed of the Church; it is the creed of the world, it is what the world believes in, what the world when it sees it recognizes as Divine. It cares nothing for our doctrines or systems; what it believes in is a manly, faithful loving-kind- ness; where that is it feels the power of God. 2. In the power with which it supplies, others to glorify him. Probably to absence of love in the Church is due, more than to anything else, the defections from the Church. It is largely in the power of love to make others what they should be, to draw them into the Church if they are not in, and' when they are, the quick eye of love should detect the first signs of wandering, and the, gentle pow&r of love restrain. The atmosphere of heaven is love, and when that is the·' atmosphere of the Church, God will be honoured in the beauty of a piety which other-: wise he seeks in vain. 3. In the opportunity it gives him of glorifying himself. Discord/ silences his voic.e and grieves his Spirit, and he needs to chasten us, and his W ordl hecomes vain, and our labour vain. Brethren, "live in peace, and the God of love and' peace sha.11 be with you."-C. N. Vers. 12-19.-The joyous aspect of suffering/or (Jhi·ist a help to persecuted (Jhristians. The apostle is writing on the eve of the dreadful persecution of the Church by Nero, which was already beginning to be felt. The increased bitterness of those around them, and probably dark intimations from their teachers that the evil times predicted by Christ were nigh, tended to awaken very gloomy forebo<liugs in the hearts of the converts. No wonder if they thought the trial strange; even to us with our larger knowledge it always seems strange that the good should suffer, and often so severely. Yet God says, "Think it not strange, but rejoice," and that word "rejoice" is the key- word to the passage. There are three reasons here for this rejoicing. I. '!'HERE IB THE JOY OF FELLOWSHIP WITH CHRIST IN SUFFERING. Suffering for right- cousness brings us into fellowship with Christ. 1. It i's suffering for his sake. The persecuted partake of Christ's sufferings. Some of our Lord's sufferings were peculiarly. his own, and could not be shared; but we participate in his sufferings when we suffer in the interests of his Church, the interests of righteousness, for the spread of h.is kingdom. Suffering is Rlways suffering, but when we know it is for that for which our Lord suffered, and on which his heart is set, it is suffering glorified. 2. It is si~(Jering by his side. We are never more conscious of his presence and sympathy tba.n i11 suffering voluntarily endured for his cause. None ever suffered for Christ without loving him more. 3. It is suffering prt.paratory to his glory. Some of Christ'it servants do not think much of his coming again. That may be due to their not having· fulfilled the tasks he gave them. His servants know when they have really tried to please him, and he knows it too, and this gives them confidence towards him, and makes them eager for hie appearing. I, PETER. 0 194 THE FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF PETER. [cH. IV, 1-19.