Exposition Upon 1 Peter, Biblical exegesis · Chapter 5 · Verse 3
Verse 3. Neither as being Lords over Gods heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.
NOw followeth the third duty of the Minister, namely, to give good example of an holy life to his people; where pride is forbidden, they must not rigorously, cruelly, or over imperiously rule them: speak we first of that which is prohibited, then of that which is enjoyned.
That which is forbid Ministers, is pride and lordly carriage of themselves; whereunto a reason is annexed, even because the people be Gods heritage and portion.
Neither as being Lords,]Ministers must not exercise any temporal power over their people. Here note,
1. That Ministers must not exercise civil authority and temporal power over their people, but use a spiritual rule over them, by teaching them, and denouncing the judgements of God against them that do evil,Iohn 18. 36. and ruling them by the Word of God, and by spiritual censures to correct the stubborn and disobedient:Luke 12. 14. Our Savior Christs (our Masters) kingdom was not of this world, and so not ours: He would not be a Judge or Divider between two at variance about their inheritance; Magistrates must rule by the Sword, and we by the Word; they by the Temporal Sword, we by the Spiritual; we must teach the people, exhort, perswade, and commend men to God, and pray for them; and if any be obstinate, to admonish them more seriously; and if they reform not, to debar them from the Sacraments; yea, if they have committed any notorious sin, and live without repentance, to cast them out of the Church,1 Cor. 5. 5. and deliver them up to Satan: These be more weighty and fearful censures,2 Cor. 10. 4. being rightly performed,Matth. 20. 25. then any bodily punishment;Iohn 2. 15. we must leave other things to the Magistrate, whose power is of God to rule with the material Sword: Thus did our Savior Christ, onelyonly once, as he was the King of his Church, and not as a Minister of the Gospel, he whipt out the buyers and sellers out of the temple: So the Apostles exercised no other but Spiritual authority, except Peter by special and extraordinary direction, on Ananias and Sapphira, and Paul on Elimas the Sorcerer; In those times God shewed extraordinary works and miracles for the confirmation of the Gospel, which we need not now: And this was not usual, for then they could not have served Demetrius, Tertullus, with all their Enemies thus.
A Reason hereof may be this,The Reasons. one calling is sufficient for one man; As the Magistrate must not encroach upon the Ministers office (as Uzza did) either a private man to expound the Scripture and administer the Sacraments;2 Tim. 2. 4. so must not Ministers on theirs: The action of Phineas was extraordinary,Numb. 25. and so no fit president.
1. This rebukes the notorious usurpation of the Pope of Rome, Use 1.who not onelyonly challengeth to be the Head of the whole Church, and to have Supremacy over the same, but also Temporal Jurisdiction over Princes and Potentates, to set up and cast down whom he pleaseth, to set them together by the ears, to impose Taxes on them, to exempt their Subjects from their Allegiance, &c. But upon what ground doth he challenge this Supremacy? from Peter, whose Successor he alledgeth himself to be: But he is quite fallen from the Faith and Doctrine of Peter, and if he did succeed him aright, yet could he have no such authority, for Peter himself had no such thing, neither do any places of Scripture (used to this purpose) prove any such thing, much less had Peter and Civil Jurisdiction over Princes and People, which the Pope also challengeth from him: But of this heretofore, onelyonly let us know that our Christian King, and all other Kings in their several Dominions are Supreme Governors, and that the Pope hath no authority to meddle with them; all that hold otherwise (as all right Papists do) are Traytors in heart at least, and can be no good Subjects; let's pray that all other Kings may shake off his yoke, both in Spiritual and Temporal things, and stoop to Christs yoke: And let us know that God hath given no Civil authority to Ministers to rule the people by, what Princes in their savor may bestow upon them, and what they may lawfully receive from them, and enjoy and exercise: I mean not now to discuss, neither indeed can it be well decided; this we are sure, that there is no more weighty part of any Ministers duty, nor none like unto it, then to Preach the Word of God, about which the Pope with his Popelings have no minde to take pains; Those that have been godly Bishops have exercised themselves diligently in the same.
2. It condemns the lawless freedom of the whole Popish rabble from the Civil Magistrate,Use 2. which is wicked; for though our Ministery be above Magistrates, and all, even Princes are to be subject thereunto, and our duty is to discharge our duty in rebuking sin in all, yet as we be Citizens, so we are under the Magistrate, and he hath power to punish faults in Ministers, as well as of any other.
2. That Ministers must not carry themselves proudly,Ministers must not carry themselves proudly and disdainfully. highly, and disdainfully, accounting of others as a company of Clowns and simple fellows, but account them the people of God, and such as they must care for, serve and attend in all painfulness, for the Salvation of their souls, carrying themselves so lovingly and amiably, as that the meanest may be bold in good sort to speak unto them. Nor
3. Must a Minister rule them rigorously and with violence,Ministers must not use rigor toward their people. and subdue them with suits or strong hand, God cannot away with such Shepherds: Neither will any rule more Tyrannously over people, then those that take least pains to seed them,Ezek. 34. 18. but they must win men by the Word: If any be obstinate, they must deal more roundly with them, yet still after a Spiritual maner, and no carnal kinde of violence, which is not so fit for a Minister, nor so like to do good; if they be unbridled and unruly, let the Magistrate deal with them: A Minister must be kinde to those that have any good; they that be not as he would have them, yet must not be cast off, but wait with patience, shewing all good desire of winning them; for though a Minister is over the people, yet not so as that he may do with them what he list, but as God requires:Eph. 6. 1. So is the Father over the Children,Col. 3. 19. yet must not he provoke them to anger; and Husbands are over their Wives, yet must not they be bitter to them:Simile. The Minister is over the people, as a Shepherd over his sheep, he must feed them, catch them with his hook, see what they ayl, dress them, binde their legs being unruly, if they range out, fetch them in, if they come not at his whistle, set his dog at them to scare them, but he must not pend them up all the day and starve them, break their legs or their backs, worry them with his dog,Simile. sell or change them away, &c. The Minister is over the people, as the Nurse over the Childe committed to her, namely, to feed it, tend it, and take pains about it, but not to hurt, maim, starve it.
1. This rebukes the contrary in some Ministers,Use 1. who because they are over the people, therefore (like some yong Husbands, that having married before they were wise, misuse their wives because they be their heads) carry themselves haughtily, what are they but a company of Clowns, Swains, a company of simple fellows? what are they? They are those you are appointed to tend, and such as you must give an account of to God, such as may belong to God as well as you, haply rather then you; Members of Christ, as dearly bought as you, and Heirs of Heaven, such as must put a Crown upon your head at the last day, such as maintain you of their labors, that you may attend their souls; you must win them by the Word, by publique and private perswasions, by a good life, and not by a strong hand, by suing them at Law, and contending with them.
2. If Ministers must not Lord it over the people,Use 2. then much less people over them; a Minister hath some colour, they none: To set light by him, to check or controll him, to insult over him, use him at their pleasure, because they have purses, &c. is wicked; what is he, will they say? he is but a Minister, a Parson, a Priest, &c. what is he but a Minister? Is that a disgrace to him? Is that a base Calling? Is there any more high and honorable? what is he? He is the man you must depend on for the means of your Salvation, by whose Ministery you must be pulled our of the jaws of the Devil, and power of sin, and converted to God; Its he that hath power to binde or loose you, and as he doth, so shall it be done in Heaven; he hath power to open the door or shut it against you, as he seeth your behavior: To the good that be converted, he is their Spiritual Father, to whom they owe more then to their Natural Father, of the one they had a being, of the other a well-being; of the one born into the world, a man, and a childe of wrath; of the other born again into the Church, a childe of grace; To these also a Nurse to cherish them, confirm, strengthen, and comfort them, and an helper of their faith to the Kingdom of Heaven: But for the wicked, he hath power to shut them out as dogs, from partaking the Childrens bread, yea, to deliver them up to Satan, if they deserve it;Luke 10. 16. therefore say not, who is he? or what is he? For he that despiseth them, Psal. 105. 14,despiseth Christ himself: Touch not my Prophets, and do mine anointed no harm: He hath rebuked Kings, and the greatest for their sakes; nay, even the least (as those Children that mocked the Prophet) have not scap'd free, yea, to misuse them in body, goods, or name, and offer them indignity, is the ready means to provoke the Lord to wrath and indignation.
Over Gods heritage,] The third reason Christians are Gods Heritage.A reason against Lordly and Tyrannous dealing, People be Gods Heritage: The word signifies elsewhere a lot, because Heritage used to be divided by lot: The word is of the plural number, whereby is meant particular Congregations, over which God appointeth particular Ministers, as being parts of the Heritage of God, which is the whole Church of God in Heaven and Earth, and every particular Congregation is a part of it, and as a Farm or Manor committed to a Spiritual Husbandman, to yield the Lord the fruit thereof.
The word here used, the Papists apply onelyonly to Ministers, but improperly; for the people also be the Lords lot, portion, and the rod of his inheritance, though indeed Levi was Gods part in a special maner, set aside for Gods service in his Temple, yet then and now all Gods Church are his Heritage.
The people is the Lords Heritage; He hath bought his Church at a dear rate, he plants it, waters it, and hedgeth the same in.
1. This rebuketh those Ministers,Use 1. that use them at their pleasure, kill them, sell them, misuse them, &c. but they shall be countable to God for them, as Jacob to Laban for those sheep that were lost or torn: We must use them as Gods Sheep, husbanding Gods Heritage carefully, that it may yield fruit in abundance to the owner the Lord; we must not use them as we list, but as we will answer for every sheep: They be dear to God, and he will have account of every sheep in our fold; we should be thankful to God, that hath trusted us with such a jewel, as a part of his Heritage, and therefore be faithful to him and them.
2. If People be Gods Heritage,Use 2. and every Congregation as a particular Farm, they must look they yield fruit, that God may take delight therein, and may say, Its the fruitfullest Farm that I have within a great way, I have more obedience yielded to my Word, my Sabbaths better kept, my Sacraments better resorted to, Families better instructed and governed in that Town, then in many others, more love,Simile. mercy, zeal, &c. As an Husbandman that hath a rich piece of ground, and which bears a great crop, he will delight to be much in it, looking on it, walking about it, looking that no damage come to it, &c. but if it prove barren, he cares not for coming at it; So where theirs a fruitful piece of ground to the Lord, he wil delight in it, boast of it, bless it, fence it, and continue his favor to it, and to their posterity after them, they paying the rent of the Gospel, and fruit which is the obedience thereof, and outward mercies as he seeth best, &c. But in Towns where there is no fruit, no obedince yielded, no Prayer, no regard of Sabbaths or Sacraments; but on the contrary, Prophaness, Swearing, Sabbath-breaking, Contention, Whoredom, Drunkenness, &c. God will take no pleasure in such a Farm, but if it hath had a good Husbandman, will take him away, and put it over into the hands of some hireling or base person,See Heb. 6. 8. good enough for such a place.
But being ensamples to the flock,] Now of the duty exhorted unto, which is the third and last; the two former are not enough, to those this must be added; Though it may be said, Better Preach well and live naughtily, then live jollily well, and preach not, or altogether without edification, yet indeed, both ought to go together.
Ministers must not onelyonly teach well,Ministers must not onelyonly preach well, but live well. but also do the same, be paterns unto their people, go before them in practice; they must not be like Statues in a high-way, like Noahs builders which framed the Ark, but were not saved therein, or like the Scribes and Pharisees; which laid heavy burthens on others,Luke 11. 46. which they themselves would not touch.
This was signified under the Law,Lev. 21. 18. none that were to minister before the Lord,Acts 1. 1. were to be deformed:Matth. 5. 16. Our Savior both taught and did,1 Tim. 4. 16. Ministers must be as shining Lights, they must be unrebukeable; as people must joyn doing with hearing, so must Ministers doing with Preaching.
Reasons. Reasons.1. Hereby it shall appear that they mean in good earnest, and require nothing of others, but that whereunto they themselves are willing to yield. 2. Hereby Atheists will be put to silence, whose usual speech is after this maner, Tush, if there were any such matter to be feared, as they talk of, would not they live otherwise; but there's no such thing, they must say something in place, to scare the people and keep them in awe: The common sort of ignorant and careless people profit not by preaching, as long as the Preachers life is contrary to his Doctrine; as who go more by seeing, then by hearing. If a man should speak as an Angel, and not live thereafter (such is their weakness) they would not regard him, yea, in the better sort, it doth greatly abate the edge of all they hear; yet doth not the power of the Word, and efficacy of the Sacraments, depend on the lives of the Ministers,Matth. 23. 2. but whether they be good or bad, sitting in Moses Chair, they are to be followed and obeyed in those things which they teach truly. 3. Hereby they shall procure themselves a good degree and great liberty, and boldness in their Ministery, whereas otherwise, it's not possible but that their ill consciences must stop their mouthes: How can they rebuke sin zealously, they themselves being addicted unto those very sins which they would reprove?Luke 4. 23. If they do, will it not be replyed, Physitian, heal thy self? 4. Ministers have such a Calling, as that whil'st others are busied about worldly things most part of their time, theirs lies in the study of the Scriptures, and about holy and Spiritual things, whereby they may daily be further and further built up. 5. Its the way to do most good, when the one is seconded by the other, holy Preaching with an holy life, else there's a very ill harmony, when upon both good is not done, people are left without excuse. 6. The Devil labors to stain Ministers lives, as knowing that hereby their Doctrine becometh for the most part ineffectual; Therefore he labors by all means to bring in ill livers into the Ministery, neither cares he what their gifts be, so their lives be stained; or else he labors with those that be in, to pervert them one way or other, by loosness, riot, &c. or get them to be covetous, &c. If he cannot prevail in those, then in some lesser things, as in their apparel, the government of their Families, and the like; If he cannot do thus much, yet will he rather play at some small game then sit out, he will then raise up false reports of godly Ministers, which he knows will be listened unto, and do some hurt.
1. For Ministers.Use 1. 1. They must live among their people, else how can they give them good example, and so win them? 2. They must look exceeding warily to their lives, yea, to their Wives and Childrens behavior; we must watch over our own hearts, bridle and beat down our corruptions, avoid all appearance of evil, all the least occasion of evil, for a mote in us will be counted a beam, and do more hurt then a beam in another; yea, we must not onelyonly beware in things evil, but even abridge our selves in lawful things, of something we might do, and that for the peoples weakness, as of our lawful recreation or refreshing, so that we wrong not our selves too much herein, and in the matter of the maintenance, seeking our own, or providing something for Wife and Posterity, which we might and ought to do, yet we must forbear somewhat for the peoples weakness, who are ready to think a man covetous, if he hath any thing more then from hand to mouth, or looks to save any thing, as they do for theirs: And yet people must here again be admonished, that they stand not too much upon their Ministers life, but look to his Ministery, and labor to profit by it; the Word of God is holy, and ought to be of power with us, whatsoever the life of the Minister be. But alas, how many Ministers be as bad as the worst in the Parish, as ready to run to the Alehouse, to play on the Lords-day, to be Gusters, Swearers, unclean Persons, Usurers, what not? O we ought to bewail the state of the Land in this behalf! Such with Eli's Sons, make the people loath the Sacrifice of God: They pollute the holy things of God, what answer shall they be able and to make? even out of their own mouthes they shall be condemned, as who having often preached others, yet have hated to be reformed.
2. For People.Use 2. 1. If Ministers must give good example, then must people imitate and follow the same, for even to this end also are Ministers enjoyned to live well;Matth. 11. 29. our Savior saith, Learn of me, &c. the Apostle Paul, Eph. 5. 1.Be ye followers of me, &c. But 2. There be some that will either be catching at somewhat to keep themselves in their old course, or if they can finde no just ground, then will they say, he is an honest man indeed, and there is all, but for following his example, they minde no such matter; some again will bear with themselves in pride, vanity, ignorance, why? what, we be no Ministers, therefore need not be so holy; we are beholding to them, that they think we should be holy, but so must they too (else wo unto them) especially after so long teaching: Some will be prying into a good Ministers life, and if they can see or hear by any that he hath any infirmity (which yet haply is not so) they judge amiss thereof; nay, though it be his burthen, and he labors against it, yet this shall be sufficient for some proud prophane men to set light by all his Ministery (which is approved and powerful to many others) and by all the rest of his godly conversation: what, do these think to have a Minister perfect without infirmity?Iames 5. 17. none ever was; Elias (as St. James saith) was a man subject to the like infirmities that we are;Acts 15. 39. Paul and Barnabas also were stired up the one against the other; Samuel, Eli, & the rest, were not with out their own frailties: Some Ministers are a little too fine, some a little too worldly, others somewhat too quick and hasty, &c. But will this discharge people from regarding and profiting by their Ministery and example: This is not spoken that any Minister should bear with himself in any weakness, but for them that hereupon think they may cast off the regard of him and his Ministery, saying, What are they, or what is he? he is a man, and hath infirmities as well as others: But as Noah condemned the world by making the Ark, so shall their Doctrine you, if ye amend not thereby: If you be so sharp sighted, that you can spy what infirmity is in your Minister, then look you follow all the other good things you observe in him, and shun that, but they will do thus with a Minister, yet will nourish many gross things in themselves: Oh, if Ministers were like the Angels, perfect, and could do miracles, and heal their sick, and live (as Moses did, forty days) continually without meat, then they would like well of them; but seeing they must have maintenance, and can do nothing but Preach to them, and Pray for them, and go before them in a good example, and have infirmities, they make no reckoning of them, but such shew themselves carnal and foolish; even such Ministers must be such as must save us, and no other.