Exposition Upon 1 Peter, Biblical exegesis · Chapter 4 · Verse 1
Verse 1. Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm your selves likewise with the same minde; for he that hath suffered in the flesh, hath ceased from sin: Verse 2. That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.
HEre is 1. An Exhortation,The parts and meaning of these two Verses. and 2. A motive to perswade thereto: The Exhortation is, to resolve to mortifie and subdue the lusts of our corrupt nature, and to cease from sin; namely, living in any sin, which is both explained and amplified; explained by setting forth the parts of Sanctification severally, where's shewed, 1. What must be laid away, the lusts of men; these we must not follow, nor walk in. 2. What we must do, even walk according to Gods will; amplified by the circumstance of time, even so much time as remaineth in this life behinde. The motive to perswade hereto is, For that Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, namely, in his humane nature, both in body and soul (for that are we to understand by flesh in the first place; as thereby in the second, the mortifying of our corrupt nature, or that sinful disposition which is in us, called flesh, which spreadeth it self both over our bodies and souls; and in the third, this natural life of ours, while the soul lives in this body of ours) for us, not for himself, but our sins; for us, not angels, who are reserved undereverlasting chains of darkness, but for us men; for us, even me, and thee (whosoever thou art) that believest; for us, the Apostle himself being one (for every man must labor to know it to be for him, and the rest of Gods elect) Forasmuch then, I say, as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, we must arm our selves with the same minde, even not onelyonly to bear afflictions patiently, and if it were to suffer persecution for his cause, but also to dye unto sin, not living any more to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. As Christ hath dyed for sin, so should we dye to sin, and not live in that for which Christ paid so dearly, and God so hated, and from which we are freed; but rather in token of our thankfulness for our deliverance, we must labor by all possible means to mortifie these our wicked lusts, and to lead an holy life, to the glory of our Redeemer. Our Note may be this, That
The passion of our Savior Christ ought to be a mean to mortifie our lusts,Doctr. and to kill sin in us;The passion of Christ is an especial means to stir us up unto mortification. for who can love the knife that killed his dearest friend, or that would have been his own certain destruction? neither can any man have any perswasion (upon good grounds) of his part in Christ death, except he dye to sin; for as one end of Christs death was to free us from condemnation,Tit. 3. 7. so another was, to kill sin in us,2 Cor. 5. 15. for he purgeth those whom he redeemeth: He is a perfect Savior and Redeemer, not setting us free from some, but out of the tyranny of all our enemies, therefore of sin as well as wrath; again, would Christ dye for a company, and have no use of them, but leave them still to live in sin?
As therefore we would not live in sin,Use. let us often meditate on Christs passion:Rom. 8. 7. O its a fruitful mother of many children! To know that sin is enmity against God,1 Pet. 2. 11. fights against the soul, brings death with it, is not so available to kill sin, as to know and meditate on this, That
Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh] From the necessity of Christs sufferings (whereof I have already spoken in the foregoing Chapter) Note,Observations from the necessity of Christs suffering.
1. Our woful and miserable condition, as we are of our selves.
2. The ugliness and hainousness of sin in Gods account.
3. The admirable mixture of Justice and Mercy, with the unspeakable love of God and Christ Jesus.Iohn 11. 36. The Jews said, He loved Lazarus well, because he wept for him; much more may we say, That he loved us,2 Sam. 18. 33. because he hath dyed for us. David loved Absolom well, who wished that he might have dyed for him; how much then hath Christ loved us, having indeed dyed for us? O what love do we owe for this so great love?
4. The happiness of such as do truly believe and repent, their debt is fully discharged, and having right unto Christ, there's nothing that the Lord will deny them.
5. That we are to renounce all false ways of Salvation, the Jews, the Turks and the Papists way, all other ways besides this.
6. That we are to labor to know we have part in this; yea, Christ having suffered, we must also bear afflictions patiently.
Arm your selves likewise, &c. Christians are to labor for mortification.] The duty whereunto we are exhorted, is to suffer in the flesh, to mortifie our flesh, that is, our corrupt and sinful nature, and the lusts and sins thereof both inward and outward. But
1. Most are so far from mortifying their lusts,Who do not. that they follow them with greediness, and cannot endure any to speak against them: These be fools indeed, to destroy their own souls, by living in enmity and opposition against God.
2. Some it may be refrain some lusts, but others they live in and yield to, and yet these will claim part in the death of Christ, hope to be saved by Christ; but so long as its thus with them, its impossible that they should have any part in Christ.
Do we therefore labor for mortification,Use. applying the edge of the Word of God to the throat of our lusts: That we may not give way hereto, lets often call to minde the threatnings of the Word, the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lords Supper, what God offers us there, and what we convenanted with him for, the crosses which our lusts have drawn on us, Gods manifold mercies unto us, but especially meditate on Christs death and passion, which is indeed a strong corrasive to eat out sin; for our corruptions remain too rank, and through want of care and too much yielding thereto, be not subdued as they ought: Let us know, that he is the best Christian, not that hears most, or knows most, or can utter most, but he that hath most power over his affections and heart. Note further from hence,
That as our lusts fight against us,Christians must furnish themselves as Soldiers, that they may prevail. so we must furnish our selves like Soldiers, that we may prevail against them: Its no easie thing to get out of sin, or to get the Mastery thereof; its to mortifie our members, to pluck out our right eyes, and cut off our right hands: Its easier to take any pains in offering sacrifice,Isa. 1. 16. and 58. 5. nay, fast extraordinarily, and to part with our goods,Micah. 6. 7. with thousands of Rams, and ten thousand rivers of oyl, yea, with our first born, then to part with one beloved sin:Iam. 4. 1. They that would overcome their lust, must not stand still, or be without weapons;1 Pet. 2. 11. we have that within us which rebelleth against the Law of God,Rom. 7. 23. and would lead us captive to the Law of sin which is in our members: Hereunto the Devil addes his power, the world also joyns herewith, by ill examples, bad counsels, mockings, revilings, &c. and therefore we must be resolute and play the Soldiers, if we would get out of our bad course: Through want hereof, some even under a powerful ministery, be never converted; some get a little way, but hang behinde in sin; some are a great while ere they can get out, whom the Word having called and awakened, the world, the Devil and their own lusts do again freshly assault; nay, some being truly converted, yet fall back again into foul security, and have yet strong corruptions, and many odde qualities, &c.
1. This rebukes most of the world,Use. who do indeed joyn with these enemies; few fight against them, but fewer resolutely, and therefore are led captive of them to their destruction.
2. This may provoke us to put on the whole armor of God,Use 2. to arm our selves on all occasions, and in all temptations, with good thoughts, and meditations of the ugliness of sin,Eph. 6. 13. danger of it, its hatefulness to God, with the passion of our Savior Christ: O how few arm themselves, or when they do, its but to halves? O this must be put on and kept on continually, night and day, we shall sleep never the worse; there can be no truce between us and our enemies: This must be kept even in the times of greatest prosperity.Simile. Ships usually are cast away in storms, but Christians may miscarry when its calm. Thus was it with David, he abode constant in all Sauls storms, but in the time of peace, was carried away with Bathsheba's beauty: It must be kept on even in our old age, and till death, for then will the Devil set himself most against us; and both Noah, Moses, and others, did then catch worse foils then ever before.
Suffered in the flesh, To mortifie our corrupt nature, why called suffering in the flesh] To mortifie our corrupt nature is called suffering in the flesh; and the truth is, its hard to say, whether is harder to suffer bodily torments and pains, or to mortifie a mans lust: O its a death to part with them; yea, when in a man after long strife between the grace of God and his corrupt nature, in the work of his conversion grace prevails,Mark 9. 20. its even as the pangs of death; as when the Devil went out of the childe, he threw him down, and he lay foaming as if he had been dead: O its not so easie a matter as the blinde and prophane world imagine.
Hath ceased from sin,] That is, living in any sin, For he that is born of God sinneth not;1 Iohn 3. 8, 9. and, He that committeth sin is of the Devil.
That he no longer, The whole time of our life after our conversion must be spent holily.&c.] The whole time of our life that remains after we are called to repentance, ought to be spent in the service of God, and practice of Repentance, and a new life: We owe all our life to him, all the days of our life, the whole time, we owe all to him who hath made and preserved us,Luke 1. 75. nothing to any other: What time therefore we have spent in sin,1 Pet. 1. 17. we have robb'd God of it, and so ought willingly to give him the remainder, redeeming that is past with all diligence: The time past we know, but what is behinde we know not how little it may be, and therefore must make use of the time present, in turning to God and providing for our own souls.
1. This rebukes those that have spent a great part of their life in sin,Use 1. and yet being called to repentance, cannot afford this remainder to God; as yong men that think it as yet too soon, &c. much more horrible and wicked are they, that have spent half their life, their yong time in pleasures and vanities, and now are as mad of the world as ever, with whom even yet its too soon to turn to God.
2. Let this be a provocation unto all sorts to turn unto God:Use 2. Let yong men repent,Psal. 119. 9. they be called, and invited hereunto: O now it would be acceptable to God when their wit is fresh,Eccles. 12. 1. their memory good, their body and minde able; it would be like Abels sacrifice: As for old, torn, lame Sacrifices, God hath no regard to them: If we begin betimes, we shall prevent a number of sins, and so a great deal of smart and sorrow. Besides, we shall learn goodness with much more ease, if God should from our youth turn our hearts after it: If we delay, we shall thereupon see not onelyonly how wretchedly we have spent our time, and misused our wit, memory and strength, but how dull we be when we are old, and unfit to learn, it will much vex us; an old Convert lightly never gets knowledge, and sees but dimly the way,Mat. 8. 24. as he that saw men like trees. If one should defer to learn a trade till age, he might easily perceive that his wit were dull, his fingers and joynts stiff: Let the middle aged repent, nay, let not even the oldest despair, but hasten to repent, that if possible they may crowd in.Heb. 11. 13. And for those that have long walked in the ways of God, let them hold out to the end, do so still; many of Gods servants have been tript in old age, yea, and then the Devil labors most to intrap them.
Should live in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.] We must neither live in gross actual sins, wherein most men live, that lust after them, as a woman longeth after a thing when she is with childe, nor give way to the inward corruptions of our hearts, proceeding from that old man, Lusts, Original sin, concupiscence that is in us; we must not live after the lusts of carnal, natural and unregenerate men, called in the next Verse, The lusts of the Gentiles, of which as being enemies to God, and to our own souls, and bringing death along with them, I have already spoken: Its an argument, that they which live after them,Gal. 5. 24. be not Christs: To those now living after their pleasures, and following their lusts, it will be said hereafter as to Dives, Luke 16. 25.Thou hast had thy pleasure, as Lazarus pain, now is he comforted, thou tormented.
But we must live after the will of God;Gods will must be the rule for all our actions. To whose will should the servant be obedient, but to his masters, the subject but to his Princes? God is our master and soveraign: His will also is a most holy, pure and perfect will, and a rule of righteousness; he requires no uncomely, no hurtful thing of us, but that which is holy and profitable every way: The Angels in Heaven, they do the will of God, our Savior came into the world to do his will:Iohn 15. 10. & 17. 4. In his passion he had respect hereto, Not my will, but thy will be done, saith he; all the Saints do it,Mat. 7. 21. and the godly on earth are and ever have been careful hereof, as being a note of such as shall be saved: All creatures in their kinde obey the will of God, and do that they were appointed for; we are taught to pray, that this may be done: To do this in all things willingly,Mat. 6. 10. brings comfort and peace along with it.
1. This rebukes those that will not be brought in subjection to Gods will, but of all things thats most irksom to them: Who made thee? who gave thee this comely body and reasonable soul? who hath preserved thee? whose will shouldest thou be subject to? art thou a masterless person? such should be sent to the house of correction: Whose will dost thou follow? what fault findest thou with Gods will? is it a better will which thou followest? O no, its a most corrupt and sinful will.Use 2.
2. It rebuketh those which will be ruled by the will of God in some things onelyonly, and at their pleasure; this is not to do Gods will, but our own: Such was Pharaohs obedience, Sauls, the Devils: About this there's no small stir in the world; God would have his will, and men would have theirs; Ministers call for Gods will, and people will have their own, though they dye for it, say who will against it: And indeed oftentimes, what is it, but their will that they do oftentimes? Its against their profit, their credit, prejudicial both to soul and body: Why do men follow drunkenness and riot, but because they will? This is the cause why Preaching is so little regarded of most, so much opposed by many, even because it would set up Gods will, and pull down mans: If any Preacher shall speak against prophaning the Lords-day, Oh, he is a troubler of Israel, hinders people from their wills and old wonts: They enquire not what Gods will is in things, but what their profit and pleasure leads them to; not what is the way that God would have us increase by, namely, by diligence in our calling, by equal and righteous dealing, &c. is Gods way askt after and followed? No, but shorter cuts are sought after, as by deceit, oppression, and the like; its a sign that such shall never come into Gods Kingdom, every Creature is better then they, and have a better end except they repent▪ If they will have their wills, they must have that belongs to it, they must pay dearly for them, as many do: Israel would have flesh in the Wilderness, would have a King as other Nations had; they had their wills, but it had been better for them they had been without; Ahab would have his will in going to Ramoth Gilead, he had it, and there perished: God will have his will of such in their condemnation, as who will resist his Soveraignty, and he will not cease to be a King, though they refuse to be Subjects? O (considering the filthiness of our own will, and the the dangers thereof, and the holiness of Gods will, and the benefit that comes thereby) that we would renounce our own, and follow Gods will.
3. It rebuketh the Servants of God, that be not so careful of the will of God as they ought: O how often do we suffer our own wills to bear sway, in omitting many a good duty, or doing it coldly; so in doing that is evil, in wrath, impatience, worldliness, &c! Its his will that we should forget wrongs, but we do often nourish and retain them in our thoughts; Its his will that we should be patient, but we burst out upon small occasions; Its his will that we should keep holy the Sabbath day, but we do for the most part prophane the same: Herein we do but foolishly, for if we mark it (as we do, if we be of God, and I speak to such) we have ever checkings of conscience, and smart for it, as peace in cleaving close to his will: O how often do we lose our comfort, and pull crosses on our selves?
Note we further from these words,Gods will and mens lusts be opposite each to other.
1. That to live after the lusts of men and to the will of God, be opposite each to other; our inward lusts, with the desires and fruits thereof, are enmity against God, and as contrary to the holy will of God, as light and darkness, God and the Devil; for the Devil and our corrupt hearts be much alike: no marvel then if we think so well of our selves, and make so much of our lusts.
2. That we cannot at one and the same time,No man can at one and the same time live unto both. both walk after our lusts, and live to Gods will; or live to Gods will, and walk but after our lust: God and Satan can never dwell in one heart together, as neither the love of sin and goodness: This well considered, would discover some to be in a worse case then they think; they think, seeing they have renounced many lusts and most sins, and are in many things obedient, one sin is not so much, but though they love that, they do love God and goodness too. Deceive not your selves, its impossible it should be so: one lust loved, is sufficient to prove a man unconverted, sufficient also to condemn him, and all his other obedience is vain:Iames 2. 10. If thou wouldest indeed please God and be saved, renounce the love of every lust, and walk in obedience to all Gods Commandments.
3. That in the course of Sanctification,Till we renounce our lusts we cannot be holy. we must begin at renouncing our own will, and the lusts of men: None sow or plant, till weeds be pulled up; None put on new apparel, till they have put off their rags:Simile. So must we abandon all the love of evil, ere we can entertain any good.
This rebukes the common course of the world,Use. that set upon goodness, ere they have bid adew to their lusts; All their service is abomination before God.
4. That its not sufficient that we do renounce our lusts and evil,Having renounced our lusts, we must yield obedience to Gods will. except we yield obedience to the will of God: Thus the Scriptures run, Cease to do evil, and learn to do well; abhor that which is evil, and cleave unto that which is good; deny godliness and worldly lusts, and live holily and soberly, &c. dye to sin, and live to righteousness; put off the old man, and put on the new; cast off the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light: Its nothing, or at least but half, if a man hath renounced ill company, if he hath not taken up the love of good; Its not for il-doing that men shal be condemned, but for the not doing good:Matth. 3. 10. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, shall be hewn down, and cast into the fire. Its not enough we have no disorder in our families, or be no ryotors, or ill example givers therein, except we take up good orders in stead thereof; Its not enough we do no hurt, if we do no good:Matth. 12. 30. and 44. 45. He that gathereth not, scattereth; and he that doth no good in a Town, doth hurt: An house empty and swept, if it be not garnished with goodness, its fit to be possest of Satan again; yet how many think highly of themselves, because they have done no hurt, have not wronged, oppressed, defrauded any, who yet have done no good.
5. That its not one action or two,A mans constant course of walking, discovers what he is. whereby a man is discovered what he is, but his constant course of walking or living: The best man may be and is overtaken, as Noah, Lot, David, Peter, doing according to his own lusts and will, not Gods, but such is not his constant course; yea, when he doth otherwise then is fit, he is grieved, and humbled, unfainedly repenteth, and earnestly desireth to be more watchful over his own ways: We must not because of some corruptions conclude against our selves that we are not the Lords, if in the mean time our hearts bear us witness, that what we do is contrary to our intent and purpose, our course and drift of life; on the contrary, its not one good action or two that makes a good Christian, if a mans course be contrary thereto; for even a Thief will be sometimes in the Kings highway when its for his advantage,Simile. whereas usually he keeps in back lanes, and blinde ways: Thus many a bad man will come to hear the word (this is one of Gods ways) but all the day after he will be in his own course, even lying, swearing, drinking, deceiving, without any reformation either in heart or life.