1 Peter 1

1 Peter 1:1

Simon, by Christ, whose disciple I was, surnamed Peter, and by him after, with others, sent by commission to preach the gospel, to all the Jews wherever they are dispersed, (see 1 Peter i. 1,) which have received the faith of Christ, (and in that respect are as valuable in God’s sight as we the apostles of Christ,) that faith, I say, whose object is the righteousness of Christ our God and Saviour, either as that signifies his way of justifying men now under the gospel, (see note [b] Rom. i,) or as it may note his fidelity and justice in performing what he hath promised us in the gospel:

1 Peter 1:2

I salute you, and wish you all that felicity which I promise myself you will enjoy by the receiving of the faith, and by your experience and evidence of God’s goodness and faithfulness to you in Jesus Christ:

[a] sprinkling of the blood] What is meant here by ῥαντισμός αἵματος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ, will be discernible by observing that it is in the same case, and so in conjunction with ὑπακοὴν, obedience, preceding. By this it appears that it must be taken in a passive sense, so as they are susceptible of it who are here said to obey, that is, so as the believers here, through the sanctification of the Spirit, shall be sprinkled with that blood. The only question is, what notion of our being sprinkled with Christ’s blood is here referred to. For more possible notions there are of which the matter is capable. The principal, that in reference to the practice, Exod. xxiv. 8, where the people are sprinkled with blood by way of ob-

1 Peter 1:3

According as he of his goodness, and by exercise of his controlling omnipotent power, hath afforded us all things that pertain to felicity hereafter, or to piety here, by means of our faith, and profession or acknowledgment of Christ, who hath revealed himself unto us, and called us into his school by most convincing arguments of his authority and mission from heaven; first, by that glorious act of the Holy Ghost’s descend-

• of the apostle: for the copies ordinarily read τοῦ ἀποστόλου Πέτ.

1 Peter 1:4

That he will raise us also from our state of sin and mortality to an eternal pure estate, designed to you believers as to his sons, begun here, and to be completed to you in heaven, now reserved for you, and when it is bestowed, sure to remain to you to all eternity;

1 Peter 1:5

Who in the mean time are and shall be preserved from present dangers by the power of Christ, which he hath promised to shew forth in defending of believers, that we may be partakers of that famous deliverance so oft spoken of in the gospel, (see note [h] Matt. x. note [g] Matt. xxiv. note [b] Luke xiii. note [c] Rom. xiii. and note [b] 2 Thess. i.) which is now within few years ready to appear, ver. 7.

1 Peter 1:6

And this is fit matter of rejoicing to you in the midst of your present afflictions; or though for the present ye are permitted by his divine wisdom to be exercised and saddened with variety of afflictions:

1 Peter 1:7

That the trial of your faith by sufferings, being a thing that tends much more to your advantage than the trial of gold doth to the advantage of gold, (because gold is apt to be worn out and perish, (see ver. 18,) even after it is tried in the fire and found to be good, whereas your faith, approving itself to God, shall not perish, and so hath the advantage, may prove successful to the obtaining for you approbation and honour and glory at the final day of doom; and the like here at this other day of Christ’s coming, to destroy your persecutors, and to give you an honourable, discernible deliverance, ver. 5: (see ver. 13. and ch. iv. 13, and note [b] 2 Thess. i.

1 Peter 1:8

Whom though you do not know by face, you yet love; on whom, though you see him not, you yet believe; and, so doing, rejoice with that joy that cannot be expressed by you, nor valued sufficiently by others:

1 Peter 1:9

And shall suddenly receive the crown and reward of your faith, an eminent deliverance here, (when they that have fallen off shall perish by that means by which they meant to preserve themselves,) and eternal salvation hereafter.

1 Peter 1:10

Of which deliverance (see note [c] Rom. xiii.)

1 Peter 1:11

Not knowing perfectly to what point of time it was, or what age it should be, of which their prophecies were ultimately to be understood, concerning the sufferings and afflictions which should befall Christ, and the church or the body of Christ, that is, Christians, and after them the resurrection both of him and them, and the visible deliverances out of them, and destructions on their enemies: (see Dan. ix. 22, &c.)

1 Peter 1:12

Which prophets received revelations also, that the things which they spake of were to be eminently fulfilled, not in their own, but after-times, even the times of the gospel, (called by them the latter times,) and that they were things of so strange and weighty an importance, that the angels were desirous to find them out, but could not.

1 Peter 1:13

Wherefore, as servants waiting for your Lord, continue vigilant, and hope steadfastly and perseveringly, without any doubting or anxiety, for the deliverance and mercy which is or shall be wrought for you by this coming of Christ in so discernible a manner: (see note [b] 2 Thess. i.)

1 Peter 1:14

As new reformed persons, not relapsing into the sins of your former unregenerate life;

1 Peter 1:15

But after the example of the divine purity of God, who hath thus favoured you as to acknowledge you his children, do you live like such;

1 Peter 1:16

According to Levit. xi. 44, and xix. 2, which requires all those who are called by the name of God, that receive or hope for mercies from him, to imitate his holiness, to live pure and pious lives.

1 Peter 1:17

And if you profess to be the children of that Father, that is, of God, who is not partial to Jews above Gentiles, but judgeth both according to their actions, you will be concerned to walk reverently, strictly and watchfully (see note [c] Phil. ii.) all your time, and being strangers among other nations, ver. 1, to behave yourselves like strangers: (see ch. ii. 11.)

1 Peter 1:18

Considering that Christ by his death hath taken away the legal rites of mere external obedience, which wanted that inward purity which Christ came to teach us, wherein the sages of the Jews placed all their religion, and that therefore the falling back to that is the forfeiting a greater privilege than a redemption out of the power of temporal enemies, such as is wont to be purchased with gold;

1 Peter 1:19

The blood of Christ the paschal, and consequently immaculate Lamb, (see note [c] Acts vii,) being much more precious than any coin or money, and the deliverance more valuable than that from the destroyer there, Exod. xii. 13.

1 Peter 1:20

In order to whom was the disposition and economy of all the former times, as visibly as if God had set Christ, and what he hath done and suffered, always before his eyes, as an idea or image, according to which he formed all things from the beginning of the world; and agreeably he hath now at last sent him into the world, on purpose for our sakes;

1 Peter 1:21

Who by believing on him are far from departing from the God of Israel, but do indeed the more firmly believe and depend on him, as that omnipotent God who hath raised Christ from the dead.

1 Peter 1:22

Having therefore by yielding obedience to the gospel, (preached to you,) brought your minds, without all mixture of hypocrisy, to the sincerity and purity of Christian charity, be careful that ye continually persevere in the exercise and practice of that virtue one toward another;

1 Peter 1:23

Considering that ye are regenerate to a new life, not by any human mortal, but supernatural im-