Practical Commentary of 1 Peter Volume 2, Commentary · Chapter 3 · Verse 2 – Verse 3
Verses 2, 3.
2. Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind.
3. Neither as being Lords over Gods heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.
EVery step of the way of our Salvation hath on it the print of infinite majesty,The duty. wisdom, and goodness; and this amongst the rest, that Men, sinful, weak Men, are made subservient in that great work of bringing Christ and Souls to meet, that by the foolishness of preaching, (so appearing to carnal wisdom) the chosen of God are called, and come in to Jesus, and made wise unto Salvation, and that life, which is conveyed to them by the word of life in the hands of poor Men, is by the same means preserv'd and advanc'd, and this is the standing work of the ministry, and this the thing here bound upon them that are imployed in it, to feed the flock of God that is among them. Jesus Christ he descended to purchase a Church, he ascended to provide and furnish it, to send down his Spirit, he ascended and gave gifts particularly for the work of the ministry, and the great use of them is this to feed the flock of God, &c.
Not to say any more of this usual resemblance of a flock, importing the weakness, and tenderness of the Church, the continual need of inspection, and guidance, and defence, and the tender care of the chief Shepherd for these things, it inforces the present duty of subordinate Pastors, their care and diligence in feeding of that flock. The due rule of discipline not excluded, the main is by doctrine, the wholsom and green pastures of saving Truths revealed in the Gospel, accommodating of the way teaching to their condition and capacity, and to be as much as may be particularly acquainted with it, and suit diligently and prudently their doctrine to it; to feed the Sheep, those more advanced; to feed the Lambs, the younger and weaker; to have special care of the infirm, to learn of their Master the great Shepherd, to bind up that which is broken, and strengthen that which is fick, those that are broken in Spiri…, that are exercised with tentations, and gently to lead those that are with young, in whom the inward work of grace is as in the conception, and they heavy and weak with the weight of it, and the many difficulties, and doubtings that are frequent companions and symptoms of that work. Oh! what dexterity and skillfullness, what diligence, and above all what affection and bowels of compassion are needful for this task? who is sufficient for these things? who would not faint and give over in it, were not our Lord the chief Shepherd: all our sufficiency laid up in his rich fulness, and all our insufficiency covered in his gracious acceptance.
Ins. This is the thing we have to eye, and study, to set him before us, and to apply our selves in his strength to his work, not to seek to please, but to feed, not to delight the ears, but to feed the Souls of his people, to see that the food be according to his appoyntment, not empty or subtle notions, not light affected expressions, but wholsom truths, solid food, spirirual things, spiritually conceived and uttered, with holy understanding and affection.
And to consider this, wherein lies a very pressing motive, it is the flock of God, not our own to use as we please, but committed to our custody by him, who loves highly and prizes his flock, and will require an account of us concerning it, his bought, his purchast flock, and at so dear a rate, as the Apostle St. Paul uses this same consideration in the same argument, Acts. 20. 28. The flock of God that he hath bought with his own blood. How reasonable is it that we bestow our strength and life on that flock, that our Lord laid down his life for, that we be most ready to draw out our Spirits for them, for whom he let out his blood? Had I, says that holy Man,Bern. Advent. Serm. 3. some of that blood poured forth on the Cross, how carefully would I carry it, and ought I not to be as careful of those Souls that it was shed for. Oh! that price that was paid for Souls, that he that was no foolish Merchant, but wisdom it self, gave for them, were that prize more in our eyes, and more in yours, nothing would so much take either you or us, as the matter of our Souls; in this would our desires and endeavours meet, we to use, and you to improve the means of saving your precious Souls.
Inf. 2. This mainly concerns us indeed that have charge of many especially finding the right cure of one Soul within us so hard; but you are concerned in it each for one, at least remember this is the end of the Ministry, that you may be brought unto Christ, that you may be led to the sweet pastures and pleasant streams of the Gospel, that you may be spiritually fed, and may grow in that heavenly life, which is here begun in all these, in whom it shall hereafter be perfected.
And as we ought in preaching, so you in hearing, to propound this end to your selves, that you may be spiritually refresht, and walk in the strength of that divine nourishment. Is this your purpose when you come hither? enquire of your own hearts, and see what you seek, and what you find in the publick Ordinances of God's House; certainly the most do not so much as think on the due intendment of them, aim at no end, and therefore can attain none, seek nothing but fit out their hour, asleep or awake, as it may be, or possibly some seek to be delighted for the time as the Lord tells the Prophet, to hear as it were a pleasant Song; if the gifts and strain of the speaker be any thing pleasing, or be it to gain some new notions, to add somewhat to their stock of knowledge, either that they may be enabled for discourse, or simply that they may know; some it may be go a little further like to be stir'd and mov'd for the time, and to have some touch of good affection kindled in them, but this for a while till their other thoughts and affairs get in, and smother and quench it; and are not careful to blow it up and improve it; how many when they have been a little affected with the word, go out and fall into other discourses and thoughts, and either take in their affairs secretly as it were under their cloak, and their hearts keep a conference with them, or if they forbear this, yet as soon as they go out plung…, themselves over head and ears in the World and lose all that might have any way advantaged their spiritual condition; it may be one will say, 'twas a good Sermon; is that to the purpose: but what think you it hath for your praise or dispraise, instead of saying, Oh! how well was that spoken, you should say, Oh! how hard is repentance, how sweet a thing is faith, how excellent the love of Jesus Christ. That were your best and reallest commending of the Sermon, with true benefit to your selves.
If some of you be careful of repenting, yet rest not on that, if you be able to speak of it afterwards upon occasion, there is somewhat beside and beyond this to evidence that you are indeed fed by the Word as the flock of God. As Sheep, (you know) their pasture,Epictec. which they fed on, nor no other creatures food, appears not in the same fashion upon them, not in grass, but in growth of flesh and fleece; thus the Word would appear feeding you, not by the bear discoursing of the word over again, but by the temper of your Spirits and actions, that in them you really grow more Spiritual, that humility, and self denial, and charity, and holiness are increased in you by it, otherways whatsoeves literal knowledge you attain, it avails you nothing, though you heard many Sermons every day, and attained further light by them, and carried a plausible profession of Religion, yet unless by the Gospel you be transformed into the likeness of Christ, and grace be indeed growing in you, you are but as one says, of the cypress trees, fair and tall,foreign but fruitless.
Are you not grieved and afraid, or may not many of you be so, that have lived many years under a fruitful ministry, and yet are as earthly and selfish, as unacquainted with God, and his ways, as at the first? Consider this, that as the neglect of Souls will lie heavy on unholy or undiligent Ministers, so a great many Souls are ruining themselves under some measure of fit means, and so the slighting of those means will make their condition far heavier than that of many others; Remember our Saviours word, Matth. 11. Woe to thee Capernaum, &c.
The discharge of this high task we have here duly qualify'd,2 The due qualification of the duty. the Apostle expresses the upright way of it, both negatively and positively.
There be three Evils the Apostle would remove from this work Constrainedness, Covetousness, and Ambition. Constrainedness, foreign, either driven to the work by necessity, indigence, and want of other means of subsistence, as it is with too many, making a trade of it to live by, and setting to it as to any other calling for that end, yea making it the refuge and forlorn recourse of their insufficiency for other callings. And as not to undertake the work, driven to it by that hard weapon of necessity, so being engag'd in it, not to discharge the duties of it meerly upon necessity, because of fines binding to it, and for fear of censure; this is a violent forc't motion, and cannot but be both very unpleasant and unprofitable, as to the proper end and profiting of this work. And as the principle of the motition in this service should not be a compelling necessity of any kind, but true willingness of heart, so this willingness should not arise from any other but pure affection to the work; not for filthy gain, but purely from the inward bent of the mind. As it should not be a compulsive or violent motion by necessity from without, so it should not be an artificial motion by weights hung on within, avarice, love of gain, the former were a wheel driven or drawn, going by force, the latter little better as a Clock made go by art, by paces hung to it. But a natural motion, as that of the heavens in their course,Timothy careth foreign not artificially but naturally. Phil. 21. 20. a willing obedience to the Spirit of God within moving a Man in every part of this holy work, that's foreign, his mind carried to it as the thing he delights in, loves to be exercised in it. There may be in a faithful Pastor very great reluctances in ingaging and adhereing to the work, upon a sense of the excellency of it, and his unfitness, and the deep apprehension of those high interests, the glory of God, and the Salvation of Souls: and yet he enter into it and continues in it, with this readiness of mind too, that is with most single and earnest desires of doing all he can for God, and the flock of God, only grieved that there is in him so little suitableness of heart, so little holiness and acquaintance with God for enabling him to it, but might he find that, he were satisfied, and in attendance upon that goes on, and waits and is doing according to his little skill, and strength, and cannot leave it; is constrained indeed, but all the constraint is that of love to Iesus, 2 Cor. 5… ▪and for his sake to the Souls he hath bought, and all the gain sought is to gain Souls to Christ; which is far different from the constraint and that gain here discharged, yea is indeed that very willingness and readiness of mind which is opposed to that other constraint; this without, this within, that other gain is base filthy gain,foreign. this noble and divine.
Inf. 1. Far be it from us, that necessity and constraint be the thing that moves us in so holy a work. The Lord whom we serve sees into the heart, and if he find not that primely moving, accounts all our diligence nothing. And let not base earth be within the cause of our willingness; but a mind toucht with Heaven It is true the tentations of earth with us in matter o… …gain are not great; but yet the heart may cleave to them, as much as if they were much greater; and if it do cleave to them they shall ruin us: as well a poor stipend and glebe, if the affection be upon them, as a great Denary or Bis…oprick; if a Man fall into it, he may drown in a small brook being under water, as well as in the great Ocean. Oh! the little time that remains, let us joyn our desires and endeavours in this work, bend our strength to him, that we may have joy in that day of reckoning.
And indeed there is nothing moves us aright, nor shall we ever find comfort in this service, unless it be from a cheerful inward readiness of mind, and that from the love of Christ, thus said he to his Apostle, lovest thou me, then feed my Sheep▪ and feed my Lambs, love to Christ begets love to his peoples Souls, that are so precious to him, and a care of feeding them; he devolves the working of love towards him upon his flock for their good, puts them in his room, to receive the benefit of our services, which cannot reach him in himself, he can receive no other profit from it. It is love, much love gives much unwearied care, and much skill in this charge. How sweet is it to him that loves, to bestow himself, to spend and be spent upon his service whom he loves. Iacob in the same kind of service endured all, and found it light by reason of love, the cold of the nights, and the heat of the days, seven years for his Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days, because he loved her.
Love is the great endowment of a Shepherd of Christs flock. He says not to Peter, art thou wise or learned or eloquent, but lovest thou me, then feed my Sheep.
The third evil is ambition, and that is either in the the affecting of undue authority; or the overstraining, and tyrannical abuse of due authority; or to seek these dignities that suit not with this charge, which is not Dominium, but Ministerium. Therefore discharg'd Luke 22. There is a ministerial authority to be used in discipline, and more sharpness with some than others, but still lowlin…ss and moderation predominant, and not domine…ring with rigour; rather being examples to them in all holiness and especially in humility and meekness, wherein our Lord Jesus particularly propounds his own example.
But being ensamples.] Such a pattern as they may stamp and print their Spirits and carriage by, and be followers of you as you are of Christ; and without this, there is little or no fruitful teaching. Well says one, either teach not, or teach by living, Naz.so the Apostle exhorteth Timothy to be an example in word, 1 Tim. 4. 12.but withal in conversation, that is foreign, the best printed copy.
But this pares off, will some think, all encouragements of learning. No advantage, no respect, nor authority. Oh! no, it removes poor worthless encouragements out of the way, to make place for one great one that is sufficient, which all the other together are not, that is,
Verse 4.
And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a Crown of Glory that fadeth not away.
THou shalt loose nothing by all that restraint from base gain,3 The advantage. and vain glory, and Worldly power. No matter, let them go for a Crown, that weighs them all down, that shall abide for ever. Oh! how far excellent! A Crown of Glory, pure unmixt glory without any ingrediency of pride or sinful vanity, or any danger of it. And a Crown that fadeth not, of such a flower as withers not, not a temporary garland of fading flowers, such. as all here are? Wo to the Crown of pride, Isa. 28. 1. Though it is made of flowers growing in a fat valley, yet their glorious beauty is a fading flower, but this fresh, and in perfect lustre to all eternity. May they not well trample on base gain and vain applause, that have this Crown to look to: They that will be content with those, let them be doing, but they have their reward, and its done and gone, when faithful followers are to receive theirs. Joys of royal pomp, marriages and feasts how soon do they vanish as a dream; that of Ahazverash, that lasted about half a year but then ended, and how many since that gone and forgot. But this day begins a triumph and a feast that shall never either be ended or be wearied of, still fresh new delights, all things here, the choicest pleasures, cloy, but satisfie not. Those above shall always satisfie and never cloy. When the chief Shepherd shall appear, and that shortly, this moment will shortly be out.
What is to be refused in the way to this Crown? all labour sweet for it. And what is there here to be desired to stay your hearts, that we should not most willingly let go, to rest from our labours and receive our Crown? Was ever any man sad that the day of his Coronation drew nigh? no envy, nor jealousies, all Kings, each his Crown, and each rejoycing in the glory of another, and all in his, who that day shall be all in all.