A Commentary on 1 Peter 1-3, Exposition of chapter 1 · Exposition of verse 8
Verse 9.
Receiving the end of your faith, the salvation of your soules.
THis Verse is a ratification of the former, in which the Apostle labours to assure salvation to all such as have the former signes. 1. The matter assured is the salvation of our soules. 2. The certainty of the assurance is in the word receiving, which imports, it is as sure, as if we had received it already. 3. The instrumentall cause is faith: for salvation is the end of faith.
Receiving. If this word be marked in it selfe, and the coherence, foure things arise to be observed.
1. First, that wee should receive the graces and blessings of God with much joy and love of Christ, who is the foundation of the merit of all. This I note from the coherence with the former Verse.
2. Secondly, we are seldome glad at heart, longer then we are receiving some blessing, or promises from God: Note, that he joyns this word to the joyes of the holy Ghost in the end of the former Verse.
3. Thirdly, that salvation is received even in this life: received I say, 1. In the promises of it. 2. In the graces, which begin eternall life in this life. 3. In the certainty of the assurance of it.
4. The word in the Originall signifies to carry back againe, or to fetch out of the field: which imports, we cannot get salvation, nor any promises, or graces that concerne it, but we must fight for it; there will be some bicketing before it can be carried away out of the field.
Of your faith. Faith is here expresly made the instrument of our salvation. This is a principle, and should be unmoveable in the heart of every Christian, that without faith our religion is to no end. For wee cannot be saved without it: which should teach us both to seek this faith, and to account of it as most precious, and to this end to make sure that our faith be right: wee cannot be too oft urged hereunto: I will instance but in foure signes of a true perswasion. For I take it for granted, that the most of us say, we are perswaded God loves us, and Christ died for us. Now wee may try whether this perswasion be right foure waies.
1. First, if it will endure the tryall of manifold tentations, 4 Signes of a true perswasion of our salvation.as the coherence shews a true perswasion will. If it will support us in adversity of all sorts in some measure, especially if it will fence us against the scornes and oppositions of the world: this will prove it to be a true perswasion.
2. Secondly, if it be such a faith as will beleeve all that is written, Act. 24.14. so far as it sees it to be the will of God, though it be against reason, or affection, or profit, or the opinion of any other.
3. Thirdly, if it have the seale of the spirit. For hee that truely beleeveth, hath a witnesse in himselfe, even the witnesse of the spirit of adoption, testifying by unspeakable joyes the assurance of Gods love, Eph. 1.14. 1 Ioh. 5.10.
4. Fourthly, if it be accompanied with a sincere life, and love of all that truely feare God for the image of God in them. True faith will shew it selfe by this love, Gal. 5.6.
The end of your faith. The word here rendred the end, doth further signifie a reward, or wages which is given at the end: and so these things may be observed:
1. First, that in the end the Lord will take account of the use of all gifts, or graces in men.
2. Secondly, that unlesse we hold out to the end, we can never have reward.
3. Thirdly, that true faith will hold out to the end, if it be true, it will abide.
4. Fourthly, Faith it selfe will once have an end, and therein love excels faith, because that will never end.
5. But the last and chiefest point is, that it will be a glorious time, when the end comes, that God disposeth the rewards of beleeving: which may serve for foure uses.
Vses.1. First, it may comfort Gods afflicted servants. For the expectation of the poore shall not perish for ever, Psal. 9.18. and God will certainly give an end and expectation, Ier. 29.11. And have we not seene the end of the Lord in many things in our temporall troubles, and can we doubt him for our last end? why should any feare death? Is it not the time of receiving wages? No hireling is afraid of the time of receiving his wages.
2. Secondly, it should teach us therefore to wait upon God, and possesse our soules with patience, holding fast our confidence of assurance. For the end shall come, and it will not be long before it shall be.
3. Thirdly, for information: we may hence note one excellent pledge of Gods love and goodnesse; he is not bound to give us any wages till the end, yet see his mercy, he doth recompence us every day.
4. Fourthly, woe unto wicked men, their end is shame and confusion, even the fruit of all their evill waies, or as the Apostle saith, their end is damnation, Phil. 3.18.
The salvation of your soules.
What the soule is.The soule is a spirituall substance within us, by which we resemble God; it can subsist of it selfe, it hath neither matter nor end: it was created of God of nothing, and united to the body, that God might be rightly knowne and worshipped.
The soule is a kind of picture of God within us, that can live, though the body were not: when I say it is void of matter, I meane it is not made of any other thing as our bodies be: there is no metall, as I may say, of which it may consist, and it is such a divine creature, as it cannot die as the body doth, and it was of purpose put into the body, that so amongst the visible creatures God might be known and worshipped. For if we had not a soule within us, we could never attaine to any knowledge of God, more than the bruit beasts: For God cannot be knowne by bodily senses. Now for the union how the body and soule are knit one to another I cannot expresse it.
Salvation notes especially that estate of excellency and glory, which the faithfull have in another world, though properly the word notes but onelyonly what we are delivered and saved from in heaven.
This salvation excludes all misery, and includes all happinesse. All misery may be referred to foure heads. 1. Sinne. 2. Infirmities. 3. Adversaries. And 4. Death: none of these shall be in heaven. All happinesse likewise may be referred to foure heads. 1. Perfection of nature. 2. Communion with the blessed, viz. God, Christ, Angels, and just men. 3. And a glorious inheritance in the heaven of the blessed. And 4. Immortality: all these shall be enjoyed in that other world.
Now though the soule be taken synecdochically for the soule and body, yet the salvation of the soule is principall, and more glorious.
The use may be threefold:Vses.
1. For information.
2. For instruction.
3. For reproofe.
1. There are three things we may be informed in from the consideration of the salvation of the soules of the faithfull.
1. First, that godly men are in a wonderfull happy case, whatsoever their outward estate be, because their soules shall be saved: there are springs of joy in the very hope of this immortall happinesse: this salvation is so great a mercy, as we may truely say, his reward is with him.
2. Secondly, that there is a matchlesse love in God to man, not onelyonly in that he provides such an estate, but first that he doth it freely without all respects of merit, Tit. 3.4. and secondly, because he sends up and downe the world to offer this salvation. From hence ariseth the Phrase, my salvation is gone forth.
3. Thirdly, that faith is wonderfull precious, that brings us such a salvation.
2. Further for the second, there are divers instructions may be deduced from this doctrine: as
1. First, it should teach us to deny ungodlinesse and worldly lusts, Tit. 2.12. the very thought of going to heaven should extinguish the desire of sinning.
2. Secondly, we would make God all our trust, and our expectation, Psal. 62.5. We should resolve to rest upon God: For none else either will, or can doe so much for us as he can. Hee is well said to be the hope of Israel, none have so great hopes as the faithfull.
3. Thirdly, we should labour for the assurance of salvation, and lay hold upon it, striving to get evidence for it. Heaven should suffer violence, seeing it may be had, we should never be quiet till we can get it.
4. Fourthly and lastly, such as have attained some assurance of their salvation, should looke to foure things.Such as have t…e assurance of salvation should look to foure things.
1. First, they should strive for large affections, to expresse the sense of so great salvation. It is such an incomparable benefit, as wee should be alwaies praising, &c.
2. Secondly, it should quicken them to good works: the remembrance that we shall be saved, should be like a fire within us to inflame us to all possible care to please God, and to be fruitfull in all well-doing. Salvation should be as a burning lamp within us: a Christian should never be without fire in his heart, in respe…t of his care to maintaine good works.
3. Thirdly, shall wee not be content with any condition in this world, seeing wee are so well-provided for in a better? what should trouble us, if we can remember that after a short time our soules must be saved?
4. Fourthly, shall we be so glorious in heaven? why then our conversation should be in heaven: we should be alwaies thinking of heaven: our mindes should run upon it.
3. Now as this doctrine may informe and teach, so it may reprove whole troops of carnall Christians, that never labour after this glorious estate, that scarce ever aske, what they should doe to be saved, but sleepe it out in a Lethargie, and never aske after, nor remember their latter end.
Thus of the 9. Verse, and so of the confirmation by prolepsis, or the answer of their objections.