Exposition Upon 1 Peter, Biblical exegesis · Chapter 4 · Verse 18
Verse 18. And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?
HE proceeds still in the foregoing reason, taken from the comparison between the good and the wicked; whereof the former, though they have many troubles and afflictions, yet they shall in the end be eternally blessed, and saved in Heaven, though with some difficulty; the latter, though they flourish and prosper for a while, and many of them persecute the former, yet they shall end their life with misery that cannot be expressed, and have a fearful appearance before God on the last day: If the righteous Servants of God get hardly to Heaven, the wicked, how glorious soever in this world, shall never be able to appear in Judgement before God, but in a most fearful maner, which is not set down by a bare affirmation, but by way of interogation, for the greater force: where there is comfort for Gods Children, notwithstanding their troubles, and the wickeds prosperity, they shall be saved, and terror for the wicked, notwithstanding all their present jollity, their end shall be fearful.
Speak we first of the position; The righteous are scarcely saved; then of the comparison, if it be so, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?
If the righteous] Hereby we are to understand, not such as be perfectly righteous in themselves, and without sin; for if there be any such (as there is none) they should not scarcely, and with difficulty be saved, but according to that, do this and live, easily and without stop: Even the most perfect have not been without their own failings; there was impatience in Job, Mat 9. 13.infidelity in Zachary, &c. not meant the righteous in their own conceits, for these shall never be saved, as for whom Christ came not; nor such as having attained some common gifts, as of knowledge, to profess to reform some things, &c. seem to themselves and others righteous,Whom we are here to understand by righteous. but yet are not so truly, but as the seed sown on the stony ground, and the house built on the sand; but such as be truly righteous, though not perfectly, yet in some respect perfectly to;See Ezek. 28. namely, 1. By the righteousness of Christ Jesus imputed unto them by Faith: They that have their sins pardoned in his death, and his righteousness imputed to them, are truly righteous, yea, and perfectly too, as ever they shall be in heaven. 2. By inherent righteousness, wrought in the hearts of Gods Children and Believers, by the Spirit of Sanctification, whereby they be sanctified throughout, though not perfectly, yet those God vouchsafeth to call righteous, though they be but so in part, and have remnants of corruption abiding in them, yet they are so called from the better part, as an heap of corn that lies on the floor, though there be chaff in it, and that much. 3. For that they endeavor, and daily labor after more righteousness; as one is called a Schollar, or by the name of the trade he is entred into, though happily he can do but a little, onelyonly endeavors for skill and knowledge therein: Of which elswhere.
1. This setteth out the exceeding goodness and mercy of God,Use 1. that vouchsafeth thus to come and call such poor and sinful creatures as we be, pestred with such a deal of blindeness, and so manifest corruptions; yet seeing he seeth an heart in us to hate them, and suppress them, he will not reckon of us after them; and though we have but a little grace, yet because it is true, and of his own working that we have, and that we would fain have more, he accounts of us according to that we would be, and not that we are.
2. This is an exceeding comfort to Gods true Servants;Use 2. can we believe Christs righteousness imputed to us, and feel we an universal and true change in us, then may we rejoyce; God calls us by glorious names, Saints, Holy ones, Righteous, let us not then be dismaid at our imperfections or corruptions, which we labor to mortifie; lets not say with some, because of them we are none of the Lords, we have such sinful hearts, &c. Neither let us suffer the Devil to pluck our Crown from us, or rob us of our comfort, making us believe that we be none of the Lords; as some few be thus in danger, especially at first, though many Christians make too light of their sins; as long as God speaks so graciously, let us not believe what Satan our adversary saith, onelyonly let us care to grow more and more in grace.
3. This rebuketh those wretched mockers that reproach the Servants of God,Use 3. that labor to please God, and dare not do as they: O you be of the righteous, you be so righteous, &c. Is not this right like Ishmaels mocking of Isaac? O you be the Son of the promise, you are the dainty one, &c. Such shall be shut out with Ishmael, unless by repentance they prevent it: Why say you thus? because you think it to good a name for them? Is thine eye evil, because Gods is good? what hast thou to do, seeing God calls them so? or is it because thou wouldst not have them so?1 Cor. 6. 9. Yes; but if thou beest not also so, thou shalt never inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.
Scarcely be saved,] Hereby is not meant rarely, or that but a few righteous ones shall be saved;Acts 10. 4…. For whosoever believeth shall be saved; and to every one that doth good shall be glory, Rom. 2. 7. and 8. 1.and honor, and immortality; and There is no condemnation to them, or any of them that are in Christ Jesus: Nor is it meant, that there will be difficulty at the day of Judgement, whether they should pass or no, have or miss Salvation; no, for God knoweth who be his, and their names be all written in the Book of Life;Mat. 7. 22. and if they were righteous here, and had the Spirit, the seal of their Redemption, and earnest of their Inheritance, as they pass to it at death, so shall they have no stop at the day of judgement. Among earthly Judges, when a cause hath gone current on a mans side a great while, yet at last, either by corruption of Jury or Judge, or by some evidence come to light, not seen before, all may be dasht and turn'd the other way: It shall not be so at Gods judgement seat;Its an hard thing for a man to get to Heaven. there will be question made of the damnation of some, but no question made of the salvation of any of the godly: But the difficulty is in this life; its an hard thing for a man to get to heaven (called therefore a Straight gate,Mat. 7. 14. and Narrow way) a hard thing to come to be a Christian, a converted person, and an hard thing to continue therein, and grow forward. God hath much ado to bring us to grace, and then much ado to hold us therein; as he had a great deal ado to get his people out of Egypt, and into Canaan, sometimes themselves by murmuring, lingering, &c. and sometimes others, as Pharaoh, the Red-sea, &c. proving hinderances thereto; so hath he to get one of us out of the bondage of the Devil; out of the Egypt of sin: The Devil holds, the world hinders, yea, our own wretched nature is not willing to come out: What a stir hath he? how many Sermons, Threatnings, Promises, secret gripes of Conscience, Warnings of the Spirit, purposes to come out, and yet keep in still, ere we will yield? yea, how is God fain almost to pull us out by some crosses or sharp afflictions, as the Angels pulled Lot out of Sodom; how hardly are we throughly humbled for our sins? when cast down, how hardly comforted? when we have got it, how hardly do we keep it? what a stir with our hearts to leave our old courses and take new? and when we have begun, yet what ado to hold out? what revolting and backsliding hearts have we? ready to wax cold, and to linger after our old lusts, so hard it is to do any good duty well. The Devil, like Pharaoh, pursueth us, and labors by all means possible to hinder us from all good altogether, or from the right performance of it, so also to draw us to all evil: Then the world like Pharaohs Soldiers, labors to hinder us by their ill example, by ill counsel, by vails of profits and pleasures, and if these not, by reproaches and troubles that it will raise up. Our own Nature is worst of all, as having a lingering after our old sins, as the Israelites after the fleshy pots of Egypt; sometimes we think like them, we shall never hold out, there be such lets in the way, high walls, and Anakims, &c. so that we get forward hardly; as a man that were to go up a steep hill, and had three great weights hung at his back; so that we have such continual need of the Word, Sacraments, Prayer, Meditation, Conference, Watchfulness, that unless hereby, we wax cold, and grow out of order; nay, notwithstanding all these, yet what ado to keep our hearts and lives in order, and our selves within compass, but we slip and stumble, and grieve, and up again, and down again; yea, if the Lord to all these means should not adde some one or other affliction, it would be yet more hard: The Lord is fain to pull us with that strong cord also, and this is chiefly meant here, they are scarcely saved, even because they are forced to be brought through many troubles; so that as a man that is to climb such a steep hill, as he cannot fasten his feet, but is fain to get Daggers in his hands, and sticking them into the ground, &c. may be said hardly to get up;Simile. and as when two Armies fight for a Town, one while one part prevails, another while the other, at last the better side prevails, but notwithout much pains, many wounds, shrewd blows, and continual labor, we may say, They got the Town hardly; the like may be said in this particular: Who knoweth not the truth hereof in his own experience? how hardly canst thou be humbled? how hardly drawn to renounce thy lusts? how art thou fain to wrestle before thou canst do any good? what continual need hast thou of prayer, good company, &c. yea, who knowing any thing, seeth not he hath need of his crosses, and that it was good for him that he was afflicted?
1. This crosseth the most gross,Use 1. and yet most common conceit of the world, that its an easie matter to be saved, that there's no need of such preciseness, but that if men mean well, God will be content, and though one have lived badly, yet at what time soever they repent (for which a quarter of an hour is enough) it shall be well with them; and hence it is, that the Word and our Preaching is of such small account, and that so few take any pains to be saved, but take pains for the belly and back, and to grow rich, &c. Ignorant persons look not out, but content themselves with a blinde good meaning, without any part of a good life; so prophane persons, so worldlings, so civil ones: Though the Scripture requires us to labor, strive, give all diligence, study, seek, yet will not they take any pains; nay, not onelyonly so, but they laugh and gibe at them that labor herein, as fools or idle persons: What art thou woful wretch, that darest cross the Lord so directly? He saith, Its a strait way, and few finde it; and to this end, bids Strive; Thou sayest its no such matter: If it were as thou dotest, Christ might not onelyonly have spared those speeches, but indeed the whole Scriptures; for what use of any, but to bid people live as they list, and at last cry God mercy, and all is well: No, God must make new Scriptures, and chalk a new way to Heaven, ere ever thou shalt finde that thou lookest for: But what art thou, that neither wiltst take pains to save thine own soul, nor canst be content that others should? Dost thou think that they be idle persons that take pains to hear the word? O, they could follow the world, and that too hard, but that they know one thing is needful: Could they not sit at home in their chairs, or keep their beds, as well as rise and toil, &c. but that they know that they cannot so get Heaven, but that they have need to use all means, and that little enough, though thou seest no such thing: Indeed, to lead a careless life, to do good if it come in the way, and if ill come in the way, to be as fit for that, &c. a few Sermons, and little hearing may serve for such a life, but this is not the way to get Heaven: If ever thou wouldst be saved, thou must change thy minde, and practice and believe the Scriptures, that its a strait way, and accordingly bend thy self to begin to take pains, to see and confess thy sins, to labor for faith, to turn to God, to strive against the Flesh, the World and Devil; thus as hard as it is, thou mayest prevail. O strive whilst thou mayest, for many shall strive that shall not enter in, and thank God a thousand times, that thus striving thou mayest obtain.
2. Let every man prove whether he be in the strait way or not:Use 2. Many say, They thank God they have ever been of a good belief, and never doubted of Gods good will in their lives, and that they thank God they have a good minde ever, and can serve God with all their hearts, and that they are not troubled with any such temptations as they hear some complain of, and that they thank God they be not so wicked, that they should need so many Sermons as some do; and that they have ever prospered, and have had as few crosses as any body, &c. These will think ill of me to unsettle them, but their state is too smooth, and too easie to be the way to Heaven, its rather the broad green way to Hell: They that never doubted, never believed, that have been ever good, were never good; so they that have had no dumps nor fears at any time: For Christ calls none but sinners, but the heavy laden; they that can serve God with all their heart, without any trouble, the Devil hath them sure some other way, and therefore troubles them not in their duties, because he knows they be but lost labor, done in hypocrifie, or else he draws away their mindes, and they feel it not: Those that can do well without resistance, be better then St. Paul, Rom. 7. 19.who could not do the good he would; its a sign they be all flesh, for were there any Spirit in them, there would be opposition; let such know, their state is naught: This way will never bring them to Heaven; what would you have or lose all this time? better begin twice, then be damned once.
On the other side, some say, They have gone a troublesom way, and full of labor and difficulty, have much ado to be humbled, much to get comfort, then much to hold it, so that they have had much strife with themselves for some lusts, and to take up some duties; much ado with their old companions, and that they can do no good but with such opposition and pain, as Pray, Read, Hear, &c. and what a stir they have to bridle their nature (and have had no more but needs) many crosses, &c.Simile. let these be of good comfort; this is a sign of the way to Heaven: and as a man that is going to some Inheritance, being before informed of the rugged miry and troublesome way he must go through, finding it so, though it somewhat trouble him, yet it more joys him, that hereby he knows he is in his way; so cannot it but rejoyce those that thus labor, as knowing that they are in their way: let us be of good comfort, and strive still, and we shall at last get to Heaven, and be saved, though it be thus scarcely and with difficulty; for faithful is he that hath promised, who shall separate us from his love? He that that hath begun the good work in us, will perfect it; The gates of Hell shall not be able to prevail against us, we shall get to Heaven in spite of the Devil, the World, and our own Lusts: Our Father is stronger then they; That's a racking uncomfortable opinion of Rome, that men may strive all their days, and at last lose all: No, wo were then to us; If our Salvation were in our own keeping, it might and would be lost.
3. This teacheth all Gods Servants to take pains,Use 3. and strive hard to get to Heaven; even Gods Servants are herein faulty, that they think it not so hard to be saved, and therefore are the more secure and lazy, take too little pains, watch not, put not on their armor, labor for no more grace then they had seven years ago: O lets strive more against our lusts, labor for more strength and grace, pray, hear, meditate, watch continually, &c. Its not praying once a day will serve us, but as often as we have need, else if we spare our pains herein, and be negligent in these duties, we shall smart another way, fall the more into sin, have the more discomfort, bring more labor and charge upon our selves, as he that lets his house go out of reparation to avoid trouble and charge; nay, how often meet we with crosses upon neglect of these duties? O whil'st others are encreasing their iniquities, and making more rods for themselves, let us these holy days and vacation time take pains to further our selves to Heaven; And as Travellers chear up one another, lend one another their hand to help them up, if they be down, or an high or slippery place; so let us help one another to Heaven all that we can: Neither let us be unwilling to undergo afflictions, nor impatient under them, but rather bear them quietly and thankfully, seeing they help us up this hill of Sanctification to Heaven.
Where shal the ungodly and sinner appear?] If they that take great pains, yet get hardly to Heaven, then what shall become of them that lay down the rein, doing what they list, and taking no pains at all; Here's the comparison, shewing the woful state remaining for the wicked at the last day: By ungodly, we are to understand such as live wickedly, and indeed as if there were no God. Heaven or Hell; and by sinners, such as go on impenitently in their sins, whether ignorants, prophane persons,1 Iohn 1. 8. civil persons, or Hypocrites: All are sinners, and if we say we have no sin, we deceive our selves; yet there be of them, which have sin in them, whom God will call righteous; but of the workers of iniquity, of those that make as it were a trade of sin, and return a great deal, being great dealers therein, our Apostle is here to be understood.
These two,He that is not righteous is ungodly and a sinner. ungodly and sinner, be opposed to righteous, so that whoso is not righteous, is an ungodly one and a sinner: If such being reproved shall say, Are not all of you sinners? are you without sin? and shall think thus to hide themselves; let them know, that the righteous (though not without sin) do both hate sin, and purpose against it before, strive against it at the present, and are sorry after they have committed the same, none of which are found in these ungodly and sinners.
Where shall they appear?] He asks not because he knew not, for he knew they should and must appear before the Judgement seat of Christ,2 Cor. 5. 10. and knew also that they should be set on the left hand, to hear that dreadful sentence pronounced against them, Go ye cursed of my Father, &c. but speaks thus to shew the fearfulness of their state; for its more then if he had said, They shall appear to condemnation, Where shall they appear?The fearfulness of the ungodlies condition on the day of Iudgement cannot be expressed. as if he could not express what a fearful appearance they should have: To flee therefrom they cannot, whether should they, all being on fire? To resist they cannot, they have nothing wherewith, they are naked of their pomp and retinue: Hide themselves they cannot from his all-seeing eye; to abide the presence of this Judge, is impossible: O they will then call to the hills to cover them! we think that the Jews, Judas, Pilate, and the Soldiers, shall have a fearful appearance, but many among our selves shall have a worse then some of them: Do not we prefer our lusts before Christ, as the Jews did Barrabas? Do not many among us pierce him with their sins? Crucifie him again, persecute him in his Members? This will not be the state onelyonly of poor snekes, or of the common multitude, but of the greatest and mightiest potentates, Nimrods, Gyants: O these shall wail before him, beating their knees one against another!
They that have sit as Judges of Gods Servants in their Velvet coats and Gold Chains, shall now stand naked before this Judge: Here they dare appear any where, yea, where Gods Servants oftentimes care not for appearing, but we shall one day appear with joy, where they shall not shew their faces.
O that this might strike terror into wicked mens hearts,Use. to think of this day, and might be a choak to all their ungodly profits and pleasures: O this day will pay for all! O that they could be perswaded now to kiss the Son, now to humble themselves before him, now to stoop to him, and imbrace him as their Savior; yet how many wicked wretches be there, that will hope to be saved as well as the best, even notorious ones? O fearful impudency! you saved, then who shall be damned? The Turks and Heathens that know not God. True, but not with such a destruction as shall befal you, your stripes shall be worse and more then theirs, your day is coming, you have had the start of Gods Children, you have been first in prosperity, as they in trouble, but ere long their mourning shall be turned into mirth, your joy into everlasting misery.