Exposition Upon 1 Peter, Biblical exegesis · Chapter 2 · Verse 23
Verse 23. Who when he was reviled, reviled not again, when he suffered, he threatned not, but committed himself, to him that judgeth righteously.
HEres our Saviors admirable patience,Christs admirable patience in his sufferings. both in what he did not, and what he did; being reviled (and called a Samaritan, a friend of Publicans and Sinners, a glutton, a wine bibber, yea, said, that he had a Devil, that he was a blasphemer, that he cast out Devils through Beelzebub the prince of Devils, that he was a deceiver, and an enemy to Caesar; being, I say, thus reviled, and his Enemies having shot such arrows of most vile, slanderous and cruel words against him, and such as might not onelyonly raze the skin, but pierce him to the very heart, yet) he reviled not again, he required them not like for like, thereby to be revenged of them. True it is, in his publique Ministery, he told them plainly of their sins, and called them Blinde guides and Hypocrites, and denounced Gods judgements against them, but that was from conscience of his duty, and of love to win them to repentance, if it might be, not upon spleen to revenge himself; as the Ministers of God may rebuke sin severely, and denounce Gods judgements against them that live thus and thus, and yet not out of any malice or ill will, but from an earnest desire of their amendment, and therefore they do wickedly that call that railing; yea, when they posted him from the place where they took him with swords and staves,Matth. 26. 57. & brought him to Caiphas the high Priest,Luke 22. 66. and then led him into their counsel; and then when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilat the Governor;Matth. 27. 2. & from him he was sent to Herod by whom being mocked and set at naught,Luk. 23. 7. 11. he was sent again to Pilat; where he was mockt, smitten, scourged, and misused beyond all measure, yet when he thus suffered, he threatned not; He could have commanded fire (as Elias) to come down and consume them, or Legions of Angels to destroy them; He could also have served them as Corah and his Company were served, but he did patiently put up all.
Here's a fit patern for our imitation,Why we must not revenge. we must take heed of revenge; The Heathens are accustomed hereunto, but Christians must not be like to them:Rom. 12. This is often forbid;1 Thess. 4. say not, I will do to him as he hath done to me,Prov. 20. 22. give word for word, taunt for taunt, blow for blow, &c.Gal. 5. 20. For 1. This is a work of the flesh. 2. God hath a hand in whatsoever is done against thee:Amos 3. 6. Job acknowledged it,Iob 2. 10. so David; To use revenge,2 Sam. 16. 10. were to resist God, as the dog that bites the staff, would be willing to bite the man if he could; Its as if a Childe should pull the rod out of his Fathers hand, and break it before his face, What would we say of such a Childe? The Magistrate indeed may take revenge for wrongs done us, we our selves must not. 3. It were in vain to fight with the world with the worlds weapons, they will be too hard for us; Prayers and patience are our proper wepons, whereby we shall be too hard for them. 4. Thus we hurt our selves more then them; them a little in body, goods or name, our selves a great deal in our souls, as the Bee, by stinging loses her own life; we have our wills a little, but the wrath of God withal, and that's dearly bought. 5. It proceeds of great weakness; If we had Spiritual strength, we would pass by great things: we do therefore but proclaim our own weakness, when we revenge. Moses, David, and others of Gods dear servants, would not give way hereunto, especially, beyond all comparison, our Savior Christ, who suffered so monstrous things of such base persons, and that so unjustly, as one that had never the least ill thought against God or man:French Academy, pag. 301. cap. 30. O this ought to move us to great patience, yea of the Heathens themselves, there were not a few which were admirable in patience.
This condemneth the monstrous practice of the world,Use. that is set upon nothing but revenge, give taunt for taunt, blow for blow, &c. He is no body that will not revenge himself to the uttermost, from the least to the greatest: Much is spent this way in Law, onelyonly for mens wicked wills upon stomack and to revenge; Some profess, and are not ashamed to say, I'le be revenged on him, I'le not leave him worth a groat, I'le fit in his skirts once in the year, I'le be even with him; who, that they may have their will of a man, care not what they spend, though they have the curse of God withal; If they be told thereof, what's their defence? Had he not begun with me, he should have gone long enough before I would have wronged him, but seeing he hath thus done, I'le serve him as well: He is counted an honest man that doth not begin to wrong another, but he that doth but requite wrong with the like, O that's very reasonable, and it were no reason to require the contrary: Thus most have no ears to hear any perswasions to put up wrongs, a certain sign that they are fleshly, and that the Devil bears sway in their hearts.
What?Obj. Shall I put up abuses? then I shall be counted a fool.
Not of God who bids thee so do,R. nor of Angels, nor of good men, who count them wise that so do: He that is slow to wrath, is of great wisdom: For the contrary, none but fools and bad men will count you wise, neither are they fit Judges, yea, their dispraise is a praise: He is not strongest that can revenge, but that can up most and overcome himself; Its beastly power to subdue others, but Christians must subdue their own rebellious affections and lusts. But alas, even Gods Servants, and they that have good things in them are yet greatly taken herein, as appears in their writings about matters in controversie; they break out into personal disgraces, and bitter invectives one against another, a very unseemly thing, me thinks, not savoring of the Spirit, but of the Fesh, yea the way to exasperate, and so to encrease sin: The truth may be sufficiently maintained, and error gainsaid and confuted without such things: That Christians should be stirred one against another, that they should not bear one with another, that they should rip up one anothers faults, that they should disgrace one another, that they should either fall flat out one with another into bitter terms, or biting them into worse purposes, not forget wrongs, true or seeming, for a great while: O this is wonderful, yea monstrous pride; where is love that suffereth long? and where is the example of our Savior all this while? And where's our forgiving one another, as we would God should forgive us? This hinders not but that Magistrates may execute justice upon ill doers, so it be upon no private grudge; and that Parents and Masters may correct the faults of their Children and servants, so it be chiefly in regard of the sin against God, and for the good of the party: And a man may take the benefit of the Magistrate, if the matter be of weight, and cannot be well ended otherwise; yea, if he be set upon, and violence offered to him, he may be a Magistrate for himself, if he cannot shift off his enemies, and by defending himself he may be freed of the danger; and if he must needs wound or be wounded, kill or be killed, then no doubt its lawful rather to kill then be killed, and yet to be as free from revenge, as full of pity.
But committed himself, &c.] Our Savior would not revenge himself on his adversaries, as knowing that his Father was wise enough, and knew what to do to them, and being just, would also do right judgement.They that revenge themselves, call into question Gods wisdom and justice. Whence note, That
They that revenge, think that God either is not wise enough, or just enough to requite the wrongs done them, or to determine of their cases; for if they so thought, they would leave it to him whose office it is, and who will do it to the purpose: He that revengeth, puts God out of his place,Deut. 32. 35. and sits down therein;Psal 94. 1. Should any having no Authority,Rom. 12. 19. Calling or fitness, intrude himself into the place or seat of a Temporal Judge, would he not be accounted a Fool or a Madman?
Let us therefore beware of revenge,Use. seeing it concludes so wickedly on our parts against God, and know we, that we do always provide best for our selves, when we commend our cause to God, for he knows how, when and which way to defend his, and revenge them on their Enemies:Num. 26. 9, 10. When Moses bare quietly the abuse of Corah and his company, how did God right his cause? The like may be said of Davids, 1 King. 2. 24.in respect of the wrongs done by Saul and Shimei: If we revenge our selves, we turn Gods revenge against our selves, and as we become partners with them that have wronged us in sin, so shall we in punishment.
To him that judgeth righteously.] God is a righteous Iudge.God is the Judge of the world, he daily judgeth, and hath especially prepared one day wherein he will judge the world,Acts 17. 31. and give every one according to that they have done: His judgements are always righteous, as between Moses and Corah, yea, Moses and Miriam, David and Saul, Ahab and Naboth, &c. they committed their cause unto God, who accordingly righted them; so did he right Hezekiah on Senacherib, Peter on Herod, the Holy Martyrs on their bloody persecuters: Thus doth God revenge himself of the wicked enemies of Gods faithful Ministers; and thus for our weakness, he keeps as it were petty Sessions, but this is nothing to that he will do: He reacheth out his hand as it were from behinde a Curtain, and gives now one, now another of his Enemies a rap, thereby to relieve our weakness, and strengthen us, and to curb the wicked that they be not too outragious; but here's a day coming wherein he will throughly judge between his servants and their enemies: Things seem to go crooked now, when the wicked tread under foot the poor Saints like clay in the streets, and insult over them; but as a Turner or Joyner with crooked tools will make straight and even work, so hereby in Gods wise providence is set forth, as well the constancy of his Saints, as the malice of their Enemies, the one being thus prepared to glory, the other to Destruction, both which shall evidently appear on the great day.
O how notably may this comfort Gods servants,Use. and make them patient in their sufferings?Iam. 5. 6, 7. And how may this terrifie the wicked, that dare meddle with any that belong unto God?Prov. 22. 23. He that defendeth them is mighty, and he will spoil the soul of them that spoil them.