Exposition Upon 1 Peter, Biblical exegesis · Chapter 4 · Verse 19
Verse 19. Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God, commit the keeping of their souls to him in well-doing, as unto a faithful Creator.
THe conclusion, containing an Exhortation to commend and commit our selves and our state in all our troubles to God, holding on our good course, and keeping a good conscience, without turning awry one way or other, who both can, being our Almighty Creator, and will, being faithful in all his promises, whereof he hath many of protecting and defending his Servants, who will either deliver them out of their troubles, or give them strength to bear them, and when their life shall end, will take up their souls to Heaven, keeping their bodies to a joyful resurrection.
This also hath the force of another Reason to perswade to the point in hand, namely, patience and joyfulness in troubles, and may be gathered thus: If we may in all our troubles (as long as we keep a good conscience in them) confidently commend our selves to God, in assurance to be cared for, as shall be best for us, then ought we to be joyful in our troubles; but the former is true, therefore the latter. Here's an Exhortation to commend our selves to God in our troubles; those are described by the efficient cause of them, they come by the will of God, whereunto▪ Reasons are annexed to move us to commend our selves to God in them. 1. Because of his omnipotency. 2. Because of his faithfulness; To all which is added a caution, how far forth we may commend our selves to God in our troubles, namely, in welldoing, even so long as we be careful to continue in our uprightness without swerving.
Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God,] Here note, That
Whatsoever troubles befal us in this life,The troubles of the godly are by his appointment. either afflictions from the hand of God, for chastisement or persecution from the world, for our tryal, &c. that they come not to us by chance, or the will of the Devil or man without God, but by the determinate purpose and counsel of God: But of this before.
Commit the keeping of their souls to him, &c.] Here note, That
God hath a care and special regard of his Servants in the time of all their trouble and adversity of what kinde soever:God is careful of his children in the time of their troubles. He cannot forget them, they be as the apple of his eye: There are infinite promises of God to this purpose,Isa. 49. 8, 15. in the Psalms and Prophets: He will either deliver them out of their dangers, as Let, Noah, Daniel, &c. or comfort and provide for them, as for Joseph in Prison, whom at last he advanced, as he did also David and Jeremiah; else he will strengthen them to bear their pains, give them faith and patience to bear all the malice and torments of their Enemies, as he did Steven, and the holy Martyrs, that had such invincible courage and constancy, as they wearied their tormentors, even in the middle of their torments singing Psalms:See Rev. 6. 9. And their souls and bodies being parted, he takes their souls to himself into Heaven, in the mean time reserving their bodies safely to a joyful resurrection: Neither is it any wonder, For
He hath created them,Reasons. redeemed them with his Sons blood, sanctified them, preserved them, and prepared Heaven for them, ere the world was.
This teacheth Gods Children in all their troubles,Use. of what kinde or degree soever,See 2 Tim. 1. 12. to commend themselves into his hand, with confidence and assured trust, that he will take care of them, and dispose of them to the best, &c. Let's never be dismaid, but cast our care, and roll our selves upon the Lord: be we assured that he will be with us, and not fail us: He is Almighty, and can do it; He is also most loving,Rev. 2. 10. and hath made many promises in his Word so to do: Be we faithful unto the death, Heb. 10. 23.and he will give us a Crown of life: Faithful is he that hath promised: He loves that we should rely on him: If it be poverty, sickness,Psal. 9. 10. pain, persecution, &c. say not, I shal never be able to get through it, but cast thy self on God, who never failed any that put thier trust in him: Do not we rely on our selves? for this were the way to fail, like Peter and Origen, who fell shamefully; but trust in God, Pray, use all good means, and set thy faith on work to depend on God, to be well carried through thy trouble to the end, and from death to Heaven: Thus did our Savior, and after him St. Steven, commend their Spirits into the hands of God: O our unbelieving hearts, that fail as soon as any great tryal comes, as the Israelites upon Pharaoh's pursuing them; yea, are ready to sink, to be dismaid, to put our hand to some unlawful means: If we had faith enough, what Victories might we get, what Conquerors might we be? we shrink and are dismaid as if we had none to trust in, or as if God were not Almighty, or had made no promises, or at least were not faithful: O let us rebuke our unbelief, and gather up our selves and Gods promises, and examples of his goodness to his, and rest upon them, as on an unmoveable foundation.
In well-doing,] Such as continue in well-doing, may comfortably commend themselves unto God.While we continue in a good course, without turning out of the way, we may comfortably commend our selves to God, but not otherwise: If we falter and shift for our selves, and put our our hands to unlawful means, then God takes no charge of us, then have we cut off our selves from all hope and comfortable commending our selves to him; with what face can we so do, and what promise have we when we have broken our faithfulness?
1. Therefore be we perswaded,Use 1. that our greatest comfort in our trouble must be to stick close to God, and so long God hath tyed himself to us; but if we shall do otherwise, we defeat our selves of this: Therefore in what danger soever we be, let us never put out our hands to unlawful means, as to run to wizards, in poverty to steal, in any danger to forfeit a good conscience: Our comfort is then gone, and Gods promise belongs no further to us, at least till we humble our selves, and be reconciled upon our repentance for it.
2. No ungodly man in any strait can have any warrant or comfort to commend his soul or case to God,Use 2. where hath God made any such promise to such? nor can they in their death; A bad man cannot say, Lord, receive my soul; upon what acquaintance? God knows not this soul; Its not redeemed, washed; It hath not used to serve him, no such unclean souls ever came, or shall come to Heaven; No, they go to him whom they have served: they that have given their souls to God in believing and obeying here, may with comfort yield up their souls, and say, Lord, The soul thou gavest me, and hast redeemed, sanctified, preserved, and with which I have unfainedly served thee, or which now in suffering, I have sacrificed for thee, I do now commend it to thy keeping: This soul God will most readily take, its more his then thine, he loves it well: But for a wicked man, either he cannot have the face to commend his soul to God, as wherewith he hath at no time served him, but the Devil his Enemy, or if he be so impudent, God will take no knowledge thereof.
In well-doing.] Such may confidently commend themselves to God, which labor for the good of their persecutors.This may be taken particularly for patience, and freeness from revenging our selves of them that persecute us; for should we so do, God would not take charge of us; but if we pray for them, love them, wish their good, we may the more confidently commend our selves to God: O then rely we on God, and in all constancy in well-doing commend we our selves to him in much assurance, as unto a faithful Creator.Use.
CHAP. V.
THe Apostle proceedeth in holy Exhortations to sundry excellent and necessary duties and vertues, from the begining of this Chapter to the tenth verse, from which to the end;The Contents of this Chapter. there's the conclusion of the Epistle: The Exhortations be either Special or General; Special, to some special kindes of persons, as to Ministers, and to the yonger sort; Ministers, from the beginning to the fifth verse, yong folks, in the fifth and sixth: The General belongs to all, being to Faith, to rely on God, to sobriety, watchfulness, &c. of which in particular, when we shall come unto them.