PETER was the first on the catalogue of the apostles. The circumstances of his call to follow the Savior, are related Matt. 4:18-20. He occupied a very prominent position among the disciples, during the life and ministry of our Savior, being honored, in a high degree, with marks of his Master's confidence and regard; and, although, by a combination of very peculiar circumstances, he was betrayed into a denial of him, on the night of his apprehension by the Roman soldiers, the offence was punished only by an upbraiding look; and, immediately after the ascension of Jesus, we find Peter again assuming the foremost, position among his brethren, in counsel and action, just as before. See Acts 1:15, 2:14, and generally the third, fourth, and fifth chapters.

      Peter was made the instrument through whom the preaching of the gospel was first extended to the Gentiles, though, so far as we can judge from the narrative contained in the Acts, Paul seems to have taken a more active part in carrying this extension of the offer of salvation into effect. Indeed, after Paul enters upon his career, Peter disappears from the sacred history. The Roman church maintains that Christ constituted Peter the official head of the universal church, (Matt. 16:18, 19;) and, as they suppose that Peter afterwards became bishop of Rome, according to an early tradition, they claim for his successors in that bishopric,--called in modern times the popes,--the same general jurisdiction. But the passage referred to (Matt 16:18, 19) seems to be but a very imperfect title-deed to authenticate the grant of such a power. Even if the power was granted, however, there seems to be no, evidence, not even that of an incidental allusion, in the historical or epistolary writings of the New Testament, that Peter ever had charge of the church of Rome, nor, if he did, that Jesus intended that the supposed power conferred on him, should be hereditary in his successors in that office. If, therefore, the existence and power of the Roman Catholic church rested upon the logical continuity and force of the argument from the Scriptures, it would have but a very slender foundation. It really rests on a far different, and, as it has thus far proved, and will probably still continue to prove, a very sufficient foundation,--namely, that strong and universal principle of human nature, which causes men, in all ages and in all times, to run [518] together, as it were, by a sort of cohesion, into vast masses and conglomerations. It is the principle which holds together nations, sects, tribes, and parties. At is stronger than the logic of an argument, or than veneration ration for the word of God,--or even than the iron chains of superstition; and so long as ecclesiastics find that they can wield a wider influence, and a greater power over mankind, as parts of a vast system, than they can in independence and isolation, so long the great ecclesiastical organizations will not be in want of ground to stand upon. It is indeed convenient, in such cases, to have some show of scriptural authority; and the elements of the argument, in respect to St. Peter, slender as they are, are abundantly sufficient to construct all that is necessary for such a purpose.

      These Epistles of Peter consist of general instructions addressed to Christian converts, on a variety of subjects. Perhaps they have no more striking characteristic than the absence of every appearance of claim, on the part of the writer, to any peculiar ecclesiastical jurisdiction over those whom he addresses. If Peter had really then held such a sway over the church, as his supposed successors claim, his letters, like theirs, would have promulgated his edicts. [519]

      1. Strangers. This Epistle is addressed to Jewish Christians residing in the various provinces of Asia Minor here specified. Jews residing in countries foreign to Judea were called strangers, being such in the land where they were dwelling.--Asia; a certain province of Asia Minor, including Phrygia, Mysia, Caria, Lydia, &c., being the western and south-western part. The other provinces mentioned here are situated in the northern and eastern part of the same country. So that, in a word, this Epistle is addressed to the Jewish Christians of Asia Minor.

      2. Elect--unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. The believer is elect unto obedience, inasmuch as, from being a rebellious transgressor, he is made henceforth obedient to the will of God; and he is elect unto sprinkling of the blood of Christ, as, through the atonement made by Christ, his past sins are forgiven. The figure of sprinkling with blood, to denote the spiritual efficacy of Christ's death, seems to be taken from some of the ceremonies of the Jewish law. (Ex. 24:8.)

      3. Hath begotten us again; created us anew.--A lively hope; an animating hope. [519]

      5. In the last time; at the end of the world.

      6. Wherein; that is, in the joyful hope of which the writer had been speaking.--Manifold temptations; many sufferings and trials.

      7. That perisheth, though it be tried with fire; that is, though it stands the test of fire, it is not indestructible;--being often lost or consumed by means of other causes.

      11. Searching what or what manner of time, &c.; that is, what time, or what manner of time. The distinction, however, which was intended to be marked by these two forms of expression, is not understood. It has been supposed that Peter alludes here to Dan. 9:22, 24, where the prophet is represented as earnestly desirous of understanding when and in what manner the promised redemption was to come.--The Spirit of Christ; the spirit of prophecy respecting Christ.

      12. That not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister, &c.; that is, when they desired to know, as is stated in v. 11, at what time the events which they predicted were to be fulfilled, it was revealed to them that the promised blessings were not to be bestowed upon them, but upon a future and distant generation. To minister things is to perform any service relating to them; as the prophets, by their predictions, did in respect to the great plan of salvation.--Desire to look into; take pleasure in looking into.

      13. Gird up, &c. The loose dress worn in those days had to be drawn around the body by a girdle, whenever any exertion or labor was required. (Exod. 12:11. Luke 12:35. John 13:4.) Hence the act of girding came to represent earnest preparation for duty. In this case, the direction means, Enter resolutely upon the work before you.--For the grace; the favor,--referring here evidently to the future happiness of the Christian.

      14. Not fashioning yourselves; that is, your conduct and character.--In your ignorance; before you became acquainted with the truth in Christ. [520]

      15. In all manner of conversation; in all your conduct.

      16. Lev. 11:44. 19:2.

      17. If ye call on the Father; if you are looking to him,--depending upon his favor.

      18. Your vain conversation; your life of folly and sin.

      19. The lamb required for the ancient sacrifice was to be without a blemish. (Lev. 22:19, 20.) This perfection may be regarded as an emblem of the spiritual purity and spotlessness of Jesus Christ.

      20. Was manifest; was manifested; that is, he visibly appeared.

      23. Of corruptible seed; of frail and sinful parentage.

      24. All flesh; all that comes from flesh, that is, from corruptible seed, as mentioned in the preceding verse.

      25. The word of the Lord; that is, the incorruptible seed, mentioned in v. 23, as that through which the believer is born again.

      2. As newborn babes; referring to the mode of expression adopted in v. 23 of the preceding chapter.--Desire the sincere milk of the word; desire constant instruction in the principles of religious truth and duty.

      3. Have tasted, &c.; have begun to experience the grace of God.

      4. Living; durable, permanent.

      5. A spiritual house; a spiritual temple. The meaning is that the community of believers forms such a spiritual temple, Jesus Christ being [521] the corner-stone.--A holy priesthood. The metaphor is here suddenly changed,--the followers of Christ being now represented, not as the building, but as the priests officiating in it.

      6. Elect; chosen.

      7, 8. The head of the corner, and a stone of stumbling, &c. The meaning is, that the stone, being placed prominently and conspicuously at the corner, was at the same time a chief support of the building, and also an exposed projection, against which the careless would be most in danger of coming into collision, as it were; that is, a rock which they run against.--Whereunto; that is, to the destruction above described. (See Mark 14:21. Luke 22:22. Rom. 9:17-19.)

      10. Were not a people; a people of God.

      12. Your conversation; your conduct and demeanor.--In the day of visitation. It is uncertain what the sacred writer intended by this expression, though a great many conjectural interpretations have been offered by commentators.

      13. Of man; that is, of the civil government.

      17. Honor all men; treat them with the respect and the consideration which are their due.

      18. These servants were in bondage. They are required to be submissive to their masters, and patient under the ills of their lot; for, however great may have been the wrongs they suffered, either in the very fact [522] of being unjustly held in bondage by their masters, or in the particular acts of oppression which individuals endured, resistance, disobedience, or sullenness, on their part, would only have aggravated the evil.

      20. Buffeted; reproached or punished in any way.

      21. For even hereunto; that is, for this purpose, namely, that you might exhibit a spirit of patient endurance, under the pressure of injustice and suffering, in accordance with the example of the Lord Jesus Christ.

      24. Bare our sins; the penalty for our sins.--By whose stripes; by means of whose stripes.

      1. The word; the gospel.--Conversation; conduct.

      2. Fear; respect and reverence,--that is, for the husband.

      3. The meaning is, not that proper attention to the personal appearance is wrong, but that the wife should not value herself upon her external decorations. She should seek to make herself alluring by menial and spiritual charms. They who consider all decoration as in itself wrong, evidently differ from him who daily creates the humming-bird, the tulip, and the rose.

      4. Man; character.

      6. And are not afraid, &c., This [523] expression is usually understood to mean, not deterred by fear from the faithful performance of duty.

      8. Pitiful; merciful.

      11. Eschew evil; turn altogether away from it.

      15. Sanctify the Lord God, &c.; that is, praise and honor him.

      18. Quickened; raised to life.

      19. He went and preached; an emphatical mode of expression, common in the Hebrew language, meaning he preached. So, in Acts 1:1, "all that Jesus began both to do and teach," means merely all that Jesus did and taught; and in Matt. 9:13, "Go ye and learn," &c., means, simply, learn.--Unto the spirits in prison; that is, perhaps to mankind, in their state of guilt and condemnation. See Isa. 42:7, where the lost and helpless condition of men is represented as an imprisonment from which the gospel brings release. The meaning seems to be, that Jesus Christ, after suffering death, rose again by the power of the Spirit, and by the same Spirit brought the offers of pardon to mankind, who were under sentence of condemnation by the divine law; in consequence of which, as the writer goes on to explain in the two following verses, a few are now saved, through baptism, just as in ancient times, in consequence of the preaching of Noah, a few were saved by the ark. Some suppose that the preaching here spoken of refers not to the general proclamation of the gospel to mankind, but to the warnings given by Noah to his generation, which they consider this passage as showing were inspired by Christ. Others suppose that this passage means that, during the interval between the Savior's death and his resurrection, he made the offers of salvation to departed spirits in the invisible world. The interpretation first given appears best to accord with the design of the writer in his remarks. In fact, the latter would seem to detach the passage entirely from its connection with what precedes and follows it. Besides, it is impossible to give any reason, if Jesus offered salvation to any departed spirits, why, of all the [524] generations of the dead, the contemporaries of Noah alone were preached to in their prison.

      20. Which; that is, not the same individuals, but the same class of men, namely, sinners.--Sometime; formerly.--Eight souls; Gen. 6:18.

      21. The like figure whereunto; that is, the antitype whereunto. The meaning is, that believers are now saved through baptism, in a manner somewhat analogous to that in which Noah and his family were saved in the ark. Of course, baptism is, in this case, regarded as the indication and pledge of the inward spiritual change, in which alone all its meaning and efficacy consists.--Filth of the flesh; uncleanness of the flesh; that is, ceremonial uncleanness, like that provided against in the Mosaic law. The meaning is, that baptism has no ceremonial efficacy. Its power and value depend upon there being a good conscience toward God within, corresponding to the outward symbol.

      22. On the right hand of God; as his vicegerent in the government of the world.

      1. The same mind; the same fortitude and patience that he displayed.--Hath ceased from sin; that is, if he has borne his sufferings with a Christian spirit. In other words, sorrow and suffering, submissively and patiently endued, tend strongly to purify and elevate the character.

      2. That is, such is the tendency of tribulation,--to wean the heart from the world, and fix it more steadily upon God.

      3. To have wrought the will of the Gentiles; to have conformed in conduct, and character to the example of a wicked world.

      5. Who; that is, those that reproach you for not joining with them in their sinful pleasures.--The quick and the dead; the living and the dead.

      6. To them that are dead; that is, probably, to those who had been slain in the persecutions which the Christian had endured.--That they might be judged, &c.; that, though condemned by men to bodily death, their souls might be saved. Those who [525] suppose that the passage 3:19, 20, teaches that Christ went into the invisible world during the interval between his death and his resurrection, and made the offer of salvation to the departed spirits there, regard this verse as referring to the same circumstance

      7. Watch unto prayer; be earnest and constant in prayer.

      8. Charity; kindness and brotherly love. The latter clause of the verse appears to be quoted from Prov. 10:12. The meaning is, as its connection there shows, that kind feelings towards others makes us lenient in respect to their faults and failings.

      10. The gift; the gift of worldly prosperity, that is, the means of exercising the hospitality enjoined in the preceding verse.--The manifold grace; the multiplied favors. The meaning is, that the favors and advantages which God bestows, are to be held in trust, as means of doing good to others.

      11. As the oracles of God; let him act simply as the interpreter of the divine will.--Let him do it as of the ability, &c.; that is, let him feel entirely dependent on God for his ability.

      12. Think it not strange, &c.; think it not extraordinary that God should subject you to such sufferings and trials.

      14. On your part he is glorified, by your example, and the spirit and temper of mind which you exhibit.

      17. Judgment must begin, &c. that is, in the terrible persecutions and sufferings which the Christians were about to endure. [526]

      1. Who am also an elder. This expression indicates that the word elder did not mark a precise and definite official relation, as Peter, who was originally an apostle, would not have been subsequently ordained to an inferior office.

      2. For filthy lucre; for the sake of money. This expression, and others analogous to it, seem to imply that pecuniary provision for religious teachers was very early made,--as they are cautioned against being unduly influenced by the consideration of it.

      5. Be subject one to another; yield one to another; let none seek to exercise authority over the rest.

      9. Are accomplished in your brethren; that is, that all your Christian brethren, wherever scattered, share in your afflictions and trials.

      12. Silvanus. There is an allusion to Sylvanus in 1 Thess. 1:1.

      13. Babylon. The ancient city of Babylon was desolate and uninhabited in the days of the apostles. Hence some have supposed that Peter was at Rome when he wrote this Epistle, and that he calls that city by the name Babylon, as a mystical designation.--Marcus; perhaps the individual mentioned in Acts 12:12, whom Peter may have considered as his son, in a spiritual sense. [527]

[AINT 518-527]