Exposition Upon 1 Peter, Biblical exegesis · Chapter 4 · Verse 8
Vers. 8. And above all things, have fervent charity among your selves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.
THe Apostle proceedeth to other duties; for Christianity is a Tree that hath many branches,Simile. and a true godly man must have respect to all; As a Tradesman must have a care of every part of his Trade, and every point thereof, though haply he may be more expert in some particulars then in others.
Above all things,] Not above the duties of the first Table, for that is the first and great Commandment, but above all duties of the second Table, have a care of love, which is a main and most necessary duty, without which there's no society or living; have a care of it, as of a mother-duty, from whence others will arise, as upon the wanting thereof, they also will be wanting; or thus, Above all things, that is, Of all the loves that we owe, have a care of the main, namely, Love to the Saints; for though we must love Strangers, Wicked men, our Enemies, &c. yet must we must love the Saints above all.
Here we have 1. An Exhortation to love: 2. The maner of it. 3. A Reason to enforce the same.
The Exhortation affords us this note, that
Love is a most excellent and necessary duty:Love is a most excellent and necessary duty. Hereof I have spoken at large on the 22 Verse of the first Chapter, where was shewed, both what love is, the high commendation thereof by its several properties, with the means whereby to attain the same, &c.
Fervent] The maner or kinde of love required,Love must be fervent. a large, continued, stretched-out constant love:Simile. As a cloth folded up is in a little room, but when it comes to be cut, is stretched out into many mens uses; so our love must be stretched out to many persons, to many duties; as in giving and doing good to body, soul, goods, good-name, and that not sparingly, but liberally, so in forgiving both much and often; neither must this be onelyonly when we can well do it, or when we have nothing else to do, but when its against our profit, pleasure, ease, &c. so as we neglect not our selves too much, and thereby more pleasure may be done our neighbors, then hinderance come to us.
Reasons hereof may be these,Reasons. 1. Gods love towards us is fervent, and reacheth out into innumerable favors, for our bodies, souls, goods, good-name, &c. and that continually, forgiving also our daily offences, and bestowing his own Son on us. 2. A little love will be easily quenched and hindred by the Devil and his instruments, whereunto our brittle nature most readily yieldeth.
This is not such a love as that whereby the fornicator loves his harlot,Use. one enemy to goodness loves another: This is not grounded upon any transitory thing, or common gifts, but is for grace: We love thus, not for any by-respects, but because God requireth of us so to love; this is agreeable to the Word of God, and therein we must principally aym at the good of our neighbors souls: to perswade ones friend to that for preferment, which he cannot do with a good conscience; or being sick, to perswade him to send for a Cunningman or woman, or to disswade him from suffering for a good conscience, &c. is rather hatred then love: Had our Savior followed Peters advice, and not gone up to Jerusalem for to suffer, we had all perished eternally. But of this before.
For charity shall cover the multitude of sins.] The Reason,
There will be through our corruption and frailty of nature, many offences one against another, therefore must we labor for love to cover them.
The Papists interpret the words thus, That our love to our neighbors will merit at Gods hand forgiveness of our sins; but we are justified before God by Faith in Christ Jesus, before we can do any good work; neither can we love God or our neighbor for his sake, till we be assured of his love to us in pardoning our sins. True, the more we love our brethren, the more we may be assured of Gods mercy to us, and that we be pardoned, and that he will still shew us mercy, but not by desert: That opposition Prov. 10. 12. Hatred stirreth up strifes, but love covereth all sins, sheweth plainly, that this is not the meaning.
Faults that love covers,What sins love covers. be of two sorts, namely, sins against God, and wrongs against our selves.
Against God,Sins against God. whether they be natural infirmities or others, so they be not notorious acts, or continued wicked courses of bad men; as love will not be suspitious, but hope the best, till it know an evil committed, and interpret things charitably; so those that be faults, yet love will not blaze them abroad, but keeps them in, and admonisheth the party; it utters them not where they be not known, to his disgrace, and so uncovers his shame and rejoyceth therein, as Cham.
Against our selves;Sins against our selves. for those that be small ones, it passeth them by, takes no notice of them, but treads them under foot; for those that be somewhat greater, it will be content with any reason; for those that do touch us to the quick, in our names, and goods, it will forgive the wrong and the revenge, but yet it may seek his own right and due, and that by the benefit of the Magistrate; where note, that he must see, 1. That it be not for trifles.On what respects we may seek redress by the Magistrate 2. Not till all other ways more peaceable have been offered and refused. 3. That its then without revenge to the party, or hatred, and without denying any Christian duty to him; love will cover a multitude of these, committed by sundry men, or ift be by the same party: As God covers our infirmities, and accepts of our true desires; and Parents put up much at their Childrens hands, and do not revenge themselves by beating them by and by; so must we by love cover the infirmities one of another.
By both these its evident and plain,Use. that there is but a little love in the world, and that our selves are very short in this duty, whether we try it by covering of faults against our selves, or of mens faults against God: O how the world rejoyceth to talk of the faults of Professors! how will yong Professors be censuring whom they like not? and what censuring, and backbiting, and slandering is there of one another? what telling tales and talking one of another?
That we may cover mens faults committed against God,How we may cover faults committed against God. we must 1. Minde our own matters. 2. Think of better things. 3. Rebuke the tellers of such things, and stop our ears from hearing the same.
That we may cover their faults committed against us;Against our selves. call to minde, 1. That we be subject to offend them, and need their forgiveness. 2. That God requires it, who forgives us a multitude of sins. 3. That there can be no better argument that our sins be forgiven, then our forgiving of others; as there can be no better motive to God to shew us mercy, then for us to be merciful. 4. That Christ forgave those that wronged him.
If we can bear nothing,Use. its a sign of little love: O that we could think it a glory to forgive and pass by offences, whereas we now count it a disgrace, and that we are no body, if we revenge not: This hinders not, but that we may admonish each other, but that the Magistrate may punish faults committed, but that the Minister may preach against sin: Neither doth this warrant that we should slatter or daub one another, yet must not we point out a particular person, unless it be upon an extraordinary occasion.