Exposition Upon 1 Peter, Biblical exegesis · Chapter 5 · Verse 9
Verse 9. Whom resist stedfast in the Faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your Brethren that are in the world.
HEre are the means set down, whereby we must oppose the Devil; and through the use of which we may prevail against him; namely, By being stedfast in the faith.
Whom resist] The course to be taken with an Adversary,Satan is to be resisted. is either to make peace with him, to yield to him, to flee from him, or resist him. To flee from Satan we cannot, from men we may; but not from him, as who will be with us whithersoever we go: To yield to him we may not, then we spoil all, that were to be his servants to our destruction; to make peace with him we must not, for his malice is unquenchable, and he will still seek our destruction, therefore we must resist him, and herein onelyonly is our safety.
1. We have a warrant and command for this.Reasons. 2. We promised so to do in our Baptism. 3. If we resist not, we can never come into Heaven;1 Cor. 16. 13. for none come there,Eph. 6. 10, 11. but such as overcome, such as are conquerers,Iam. 4. 7. who have palms in token of victory: See 2 Tim. 4. 8. James 1. 12. Rev. 2. 26. and 3. 10. and 7. 14. 4. If we do not fight and resist, we shall surely be destroyed: Every coward will fight, when he sees there's no other remedy. 5. If we resist, we are sure to overcome; for we fight not in our own might, but under our Captain Christ Jesus,Rom. 16. 20. who hath bruised and broke the Serpents head in his own person, and will do also in us: We resisting as he requires, it were a disgrace to him if we should be overcome; nay, most certain it is, that no Soldier of Christ Jesus, resisting by the armor of his appointing, can ever be finally or wholly vanquished.
1. This rebuketh all those that resist not Satan at all,Use 1. or as they ought; as 1. The prophane sort that live in sin; these resist not, but rather serve the Devil: They resist God, his Word, the Spirit, good Counsel, all the means which are used to draw them from their sins; but Satans temptations (as serving their humor) they resist not; this is the cause that Hell is so full: If the Devil perswade them to any evil, they are as ready to yield, as he to tempt. 2. Civil persons, they resist not the Devil, as conceiving their case to be good enough, for that they are not (as they conceive) so bad as others, though to neglect all duties in their families, and towards their souls, and to pass the Sabbath in worldly talk, and to be little at the Sacrament, or without any preparation, be frequent with them. 3. Hypocrites, who though they resist him in some things, yet in others yield, which is enough to their destruction. 4. Backsliders, that resisted him a while, and seemed to be wel minded, & to be sorry for time past, & were fully purposed to take a new course, and seemed so to do for a time, that yet afterward returned to their old vomit, and yielded to his wil and temptations, as they did before: This resisting was nothing, unless they had so continued to the end, and until they had overcome; for not they that make a flourish, and strike a few blows, and then flie or yield themselves to the Enemy, shall be crowned: O let all such repent of their baseness, and yielding themselves into the Devils hands, and to his temptations, as also of their breach of promise in Baptism; and for the time to come, let them learn to know what is the will of God, and which be Satans temptations, and resist the same, and that constantly, and in all things; so shall the second death have no power over them, but they shall conquer here, and be crowned eternally hereafter.
2. This reproveth weak Christians,Use 2. yea, sometimes even them who have well profited, and yet will shew themselves weak in this, that if the Devil have any temptations against them, telling them they be hypocrites, and that they shall not be pardoned, their sins being so great, and their hearts to sinful, what do they but consent, and say as he saith, against themselves, and so yield; what a folly is this? Is not the Devil adversary enough, but that you must also be an enemy to your selves? and do you know its the Devil, who is a lyar, and yet suffer your selves to be carried away by him, and say as he saith? a murtherer, and yet yield to him? fie upon it, you ought to resist, & have recourse to your friends for aid; even seek unto God by prayer, search the promises laid down in the Word, listen to good counsel, &c. yea, when a man hath spent a good time in laboring to comfort them by the Word, they yet are at the same stay, and yield more to a temptation which is a lye, then to all that can be said against it; also, many and most Christians, alas, how little do they resist? how often do they yield? If he tempt them to lay aside prayer for trifles, or to keep them from the Word, there being this or that to do, how quickly do they yield? Many also are so filly, that they see not one of ten of Satans temptations, and are so careless, that they fear them not: Thus sometimes they omit good duties, sometimes marre a good duty in the doing, are sometimes overcome in small things: What if they be not great things? The least sins be against God, hurt our souls, hinder our peace, make our comfort the less. If Satan come with some great thing, we fear, and look about us, he would wound us at the heart; but would we be willing to be hurt in the leg or arm? we must not yield at any time, in any thing, how small soever, but manfully and constantly stand in opposition.
Stedfast in the faith,] Faith gives Satan the foil.Faith is a principal piece of our Christian Armor;Eph. 6. Gods Armor is Spiritual not Carnal, and though here one part be prescribed, yet we must not content our selves therewith, But put on the whole armor of God; for so we shall overcome: The Armor of Gods making shall prevail.
1. If none can resist nor overcome but they that have these weapons,Use 1. What shall become of most, who have not so much as one of them, not Faith, nor Hope, nor Righteousness, nor Truth, &c? They must needs be a prey to the Devil as unarmed Creatures; They have been told of this Enemy, and that there was a compleat Armor of Proof, which they might have if they would take pains; they neglecting the same, their condemnation will be of themselves.
2. It rebukes Christians that put on their Armor to halves,Use 2. leaving off and neglecting this or that piece, and so are often overcome; we must get it all, and buckle it well and close to us every morning, yea, never lay off any part of it; we may do any thing in it, work, ride, lie down, sleep, do any good, &c.
More particularly,Eph. 6. faith is a principal piece of this Armor: Above all, 1 Iohn 5.put on the shield of faith, that will quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one: This is also the Victory that overcomes the world, even our Faith: This takes hold of the promises laid down in the Scriptures, of Providence, Provision, Preservation, Salvation, and is found by experience to be a notable means to resist all temptations in any kinde, as worldliness, fearfulness, &c.
They then that are void of faith cannot resist the Devil,True faith rare. and how rare is true faith among men? The world imagine that its easie to believe, but Gods Servants finde the contrary.
Stedfast,] What faith it is that prevails over Satan.Its not a small or weak faith, but a strong and stedfast faith, that must resist and overcome the Devils Temptations, especially great ones: Such Christians then are to be blamed, which content themselves almost with a shew of faith; so that when they come to lie on their death beds, after long profession, their hope is so faint, and their perswasion so weak, as that its to be wondred at, who then might have been triumphing in assurance.
So in their lives,Use. their faith is so weak, as that every temptation shakes them,Matth. 14. as the Disciples at a little Tempest: O that Christians can hold the hope of their Salvation so slenderly, and have such poor evidence, when as they should be able to prove it by many infallible Arguments.
Obj. But the least measure of true faith will save.Obj.
Answ. True,Sol. but poorly. A weak tattered ship may come safe to Land,Simile. but with how many dangers and fears, whereas a strong and well rigg'd Ship comes with more assurance and content to the Passengers.
Knowing that the same affliction, All Gods children are liable to Satans temptations.&c.] A Reason to perswade us to resist the Devil, and not to be discouraged, because its not our case alone to be tempted and molested by Satan and his Instruments, but of all the Servants of God every where: Satan spiteth not some few, though he doth them most, which most oppose him, but he hateth and seeketh to mischief all the Servants of God whatsoever: As Pharaoh pursued not some few of the Israelites, but all of them, to fetch them back again; so doth the Devil set himself against all the Israel of God: There's enmity between the seed of the Woman, and the seed of the Serpent; He set upon David, resisted Jeshua, &c. tempteth all,2 Tim. 3. 12. spares none: All that will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution: There's none so tempted, but others have met with the like; Thus will the Lord have all to be humbled, thus prove them, thus set their graces on work, yea, thus encrease grace in them.
We must therefore be the more comfortable,Use. seeing we have so many, and such Companions, would we go to Heaven an easier way then all the Servants of God have gone? we are well if we go the same Sanctified way; And as we go in no harder way then others, so we must not look to have a soft and fine way strewed out for us alone, this were too much daintiness. True, it is the Devil that will perswade us, and we are ready to think no bodies case like ours: O I have had such temptations. That there is no God, that the Scriptures be false, innumerable blasphemous thoughts! so to rebel against God, to hurt my self, &c. O be not discouraged, others of Gods Servants have met with all these: So we are ready to think our pain, or cross, or kinde of life, to be more painful then any others, whereas it is nothing so; and this the Devil perswades to, that we might conceive that God hath pickt us out for his Enemies, and so might move us to distrust, and put us out of comfort.
Are accomplished,] God enables his children to overcome Satans temptations.That is, both suffered and overcome by them. Hence note, That
God lays no temptation on his, but he enables them to overcome it; They have no power of their own, but by his they are able to do all things; yea, even such as our selves have gone through the fire it self.
This may encourage us to fight and resist manfully,Use. for as others have overcome, so shall we, who do no more fight in our strength, then they did; we have had many a temptation, that we feared sometimes we should not have prevailed over, which yet through Gods goodness we have now outgrown; So shall it be with the rest.
Obj. But seeing they knew this before,Obj. why doth he urge this as a Reason to comfort and hearten them, and not rather some others which they knew not?
Answ. Because though they knew it,Sol. yet they had not so the use of it, as to be heartened by it: Its one thing to know a thing, another to be able to apply it, and make use of it, according to our need: The common sort know many principles, and many truths, whereof yet they make no use of their lives, and live as if they knew no such thing, whose knowledge doth but procure them the more stripes.
1. Its therefore the Ministers duty,Ministers must endeavor as to inform the understanding, so to work on the affections of their people. not to inform the understanding onelyonly, but to labor and work upon the dull affections, and to bridle the unruly lusts of the heart, and bring them to stoop: If people could make use and apply a thing as soon as they knew it, a Ministers life would be more easie then it is; but the wisdom and skill is to winde into the peoples hearts, and to work a love to that they know is good, and an hatred to that that is evil.
2. People must not content themselves to know,People must joyn practice to their knowledge. but look they put in practice that they know: If ye know these things (saith our Savior) happy are ye if ye do them: O how many promises do Gods people know, whereby yet they are not comforted.
In your brethren,] Theres a near conjunction between believers.There's a near conjunction between believers: They are fellow-brethren, of the best brotherhood; God is their Father, the Church is their Mother, they are begot of the same immortal Seed, nourished by the same food of the Word, Heirs of the same Inheritance, are Members of the same Body.
1. This rebukes them that scoff, like Ishmael, at the term of Brethren or Brotherhood, who yet can be content to have a Brotherhood between themselves in swaggering, lewd companionship, &c. such scoff at the language of the most High.
2. It teacheth us to embrace each other with brotherly entire affections,Use 1. and express them by brotherly actions; as good counsels, admonitions, exhortations, prayer, example, rejoycing with them that do rejoyce, and weeping with them that weep, &c.
3. This rebuketh not onelyonly the want of these (which is very common) but also and especially the contentions and jars that are often between Christians:Use 2. If Parents should have of their children some going together by the ears, and that before the rest of their Brethren and Sisters, yea, before the servants and strangers, how would it grieve them? so doth it God, if we shall before his face, and our Mother the Church, our fellow Brethren and Sisters, to their grief, yea, before the Canaanites and Perizzites, who will laugh thereat: If, I say, we shall thus contend and strive together, how monstrous is this? either we must unchristian our selves and one another, or else we offer violence to Christs body, pulling one member from another, which he will not indure. What if there be a sudden offence or falling out between any, is there not a time to forget, to be reconciled, and to heal up all?
That are in the world,] Gods Church is dispersed throughout the world.That is, dispersed here and there in the world. Hence note, That
God hath his Church far and wide in many places. In former times indeed it was hemmed within the compass of Jury; but since our Saviors time, its spread into all Nations, though not into all at once: This in some Countreys more visible, in others less, because of persecution, wherein yet no doubt are Seven thousand that never bowed their knee unto Baal.
We must therefore pray earnestly for all Gods people that be in other Countreys;Use. they have as much need of prayers as we, and as many, yea, the same temptations with us, yea, most of them far greater: They love the same God and Jesus Christ that we do, are led by the same Spirit, look for the same glory, have the same hearts to God, have the same Devil for their enemy; therefore pray for them, for so we may do them good, though they be thousands of miles from us, and love we them when we hear of them, for they be our Brethren.
In the world,] The Saints in Heaven are free from temptations.As if he should have said, There are some of your Brethren indeed, that are not under these temptations, namely, They that be out of the world, they which be triumphing in Heaven: They rest from their labors, and are blessed: They triumph with palms, are out of danger: No temptation, no trouble toucheth them, but all that be in the world be in the same troubles.
1. Therefore whilst we are in this world,Use 1. do not we look for any time of truce; we may be foiled in our old age, if we look not to it, as many worthy men have been: We must not therefore lay away our weapons, we may hap to have a sore combat on our deathbed.
2. Long to be with God,Use 2. and so to be out of temptations, though not so earnestly, but that we be content to tarry the Lords leisure, and work ere we look for wages, in the mean time doing him the best service we can: Some offend in impatient haste, they would be crowned ere they have fought up their fight; some again linger here too much, not for the right ends (for we should be content, and desire for some respects of Gods glory and others benefit, to tarry here still) but for worldly respects, which we must carefully avoid.