The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Peter — Section 210

is to be final judicio.l dealing with them for their ungodly deeds, for their hard speeches. There is especially to be final judicial dealing with them for the treatment they have given the gospel, the preachers of the gospel, the Christian communities, the Christian members. Stress is laid on the order of the judgm•mt. The startin"-point is noted. It begins at, or from, the house of God. 'l'he language is used in Ez~'i{. ix. 6, "Begin at my sanctuary." Upon this an argument is founded. It is similar to what is found in Jer. xxv. 20, "For, lo, I begin to bring evil on the city which is called by my Name, and should ye be utterly unpunished?" The argument has a consolatory side to them that belong to t~" '!louse of God, "If it begin first at us," says Peter, referrin.,. to himself and the persecuted to whom he wrote. It was only to begin first at them: it was not to stay with them. It was to pass on to them that obeyed not the gospel of God-and how? We may understand, with increasing severity; for the question is ominously asked, "What shall be the end of them that obey not the gospel of God?" '!'hey experienced the beginnings of the storm: what would be their experience upon whom the storm, gathering volume as it proceeded, at last burst in all its fury? 2. Old Testament reference. "And if the righteous is scarcely saved, where shall the ungodly and sinner appear?" The reference is to Prov. xi. :n, "Behold the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: much more the wicked and the sinner." The language is properly from the imperfect Septuagint rendering. 'l'he sin;;ular indivi- dualizes. The righteous is he who stands in a right relation to God. The New Testament bearing is he who stands in right relation to God i!l view of the revelation made in the gospel. The Old Testament equivalent to" obeying not the gospel of God," is "the ungodly and sinner," i.e. he who has not the fear of God on him, and therefore acts presumptuously. It is said of the righteous that he is scarcely saved. Two men ba.ve a. task assigned to them-climbing a. bill; the task to be accomplished in a given time. It would require of both all their might to reach the top in the given time. One sets himself to it, and when the time expires he has scarcely reached the top. What is to be said of the other, who a.II the time has gone after his own pleasure ? God has assigned to all, as he bas a right to assign, a task; this task is the salvation of the soul. 'ro accomplish it in the time appointed requires working with all the might. Here is one who sets himself to the task. He works while it is day ; and when the night of death comes down on him the task is scarcely accomplished, there is still purification that needs to be done. It is not said of him that he shall not appear before God in the issue of judgment; rather may we understand that he shall appear, though there may be withheld from him the highest reward in the presence of God. Here is another who misjudges life, who spends the day of grace in idleness and pleasure, who has not fear for the God who is to judge him, who throws off restraiuts. This ungodly man and sinner, where shall he appear? The question is ominously left unanswered; but we may take the answer as given in the first psalm, "The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. There- fore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish." IV, CONCLUSION SHOWIKG HOW THEY WERE TO DO UNDER THE FIERY TRIAL. "Wherefore let them also that suffer according to the will of God commit their souls in well-doing unto a faithful Creator." "Also" is to be connected with "wherefore," and is to be taken as indicating something additional in the way of conclusion. By the will of God we are to understand, not so much the Divine appointment, ns the Divine requirement. It is the will of God that we should suffer even as confessors and martyrs rather than deny Christ. Let them that thus suffer according to the will of God follow this course. Let them commit their souls to God. Thus it was with him who pre-eminently suffered according to the will of God. In dying he said, "Father, into thy bands I commend my spirit." Let them commit their souls in well-doing unto a faithful Creator. There can be a falling back, not only on Fatherhood, but even on Creatorship. In creating us he constituted us so that in a course of well-doing we should be happy. Let us do well, and we may be assured that God will be faithful to bis part of the covenant. "All the days of my appointed time wiil I wait, till rny change come. 'l'hou shalt call, and I will answer tlilee; thou wilt have a desire to th6 wwk of thine hands" (Job xiv. 14, 15).-R. F. 206 THE FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF PETER. [oil, v. 1-14-.