Exposition Upon 1 Peter, Biblical exegesis · Chapter 5 · Verse 4
Verse 4. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.
THe last Reason taken from the commodity,The fourth Reason from the reward of faithful Ministers. and happy event, and rich reward that will be to all that shall thus faithfully discharge their duties, wherein the Apostle doth, like the Devil with our Savior Christ, though to a better, yea, contrary, and leaves the Reason from profit till the last, as likely to be of most force.
And when the chief Shepherd shall appear,] Christ the chief ShepherdJesus Christ is meant by the chief Shepherd;Iohn 10. 11. He is that good Shepherd, the Shepherd of Shepherds,Heb. 13. 20. the great Shepherd of his people; we be Shepherds also, but inferior to him.
He is worthily so called, 1. Because the sheep be his, not ours, he is the owner of them,Acts 20. 28. and they cost him full dearly; for us, we are but set to tend and feed them. 2. He appoints us under him, and gives us gifts to feed and direct them;Eph. 4. 11. He sets us on work. 3. Its he that gathers and keeps the sheep, and heals them; we indeed use the means, but its he that gives the blessing; we cannot change a goat into a sheep, nor force one home from straying, but he perswades their hearts, he gives the encrease. 4. Its he to whom we must give our account, and who pays us our wages: for, as for the present maintenance we have, its not answerable to the work we do; the world think it too much, but Christ will pay us after another fashion. 5. He is over all the flock in all places and countreys, we onelyonly are over handfuls and parcels of this great flock, which yet are called flocks, but nothing to the whole.
1. This condemneth that notable usurpation of the Pope of Rome, Use 1.who arrogateth unto himself, that he is the chief Pastor and Arch-Shepherd over all the Church: But there is no other chief one but Christ on Earth, who is present with his Church to the worlds end: A Shepherd; a devouring wolf he is, that destroys all souls; A Feeder; he poysons the people by the dung-hill dirt of false Doctrine, and his own Traditions, he feeds all for the Devil, but brings none to Christ to be sure.
2. It teacheth us that are Ministers to look to our Calling by the chief Shepherd,Use 2. whether besides the outward allowance of men, we have received a competency of skill and gifts to manage the business we are set about, the gaining of the peoples souls; as also to crave his direction and blessing upon our labors, and so to use our people,Heb. 13. 17. as for whom and every of them we must make an account to their owner, our Master; we must not starve them, or half starve them, be cruel unto them, buy, sell, chop or change them away, as if they were our own, when as we are but Servants; This is little believed or regarded.
3. For people,Use 3. if they want a Shepherd, and be scattered, they must crave one of the chief Shepherd; yea, generally, that he would furnish many, and send them abroad among the lost and forlorn sheep; They must also submit themselves to their Ministery and Government, as to those that be set over them by Christ, knowing that if they despise them, they despise their Master; and if they be not won by their Ministery, they despise the voice of Christ Jesus himself.
Ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.] The great reward of faithful Ministers.Here's the reward of faithful Ministers; They shall attain a state of happiness, which God hath provided for his in Heaven; its not to be uttered nor conceived what it is: Its described, according to our weak conceit, by a feast, a marriage feast of a Kings Son, a City whose Walls and Streets are Gold, and Gates Pearls, &c. Its a State free from all evil; whereas here there's nothing but crying and complaining, one of his head, lungs, back, &c. another of his unruly children, losses by sea, by Bankrupts, &c. There all tears are wiped away; there also there's no want of any thing, no need of any thing, whether for body or soul, but a perfect enjoying of all good, for we shall enjoy God himself, the fountain of all goodness; we shall also enjoy the society and fellowship of the Lord Jesus, who hath so loved us, and who is the joy of our hearts: So of the holy Ghost the Comforter; so of the Angels, of the Patriarks, Prophets, Apostles, Martyrs, of our godly Friends, Children, Ministers, that begat us to God, &c. where we shall be so filled with all comfort, as we shall joy continually, for we shall sing night and day; the place also adds unto our happiness: Needs must Heaven be excellent, as being prepared by God for himself to set forth his magnificence; what its within, appears by its glorious outside, and the glory thereof, by the fairness of the world, given to dogs and Gods Enemies; this also is eternal: The glory of this world, as its not worthy to be so called; so its inconstant and fickle (see it in Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Herod) one day, yea, one hour knows us often,Dan. 12. 3. both happy (as the world accounts) and miserable;1 Tim. 4. 16. but such is not the glory of Heaven,2 Tim. 4. 8. it endures for ever: This is here (as elsewhere) promised to faithful Ministers, they shall enter into their Masters joy.
1. This may exceedingly encourage Ministers,Use 1. to take all the pains that possibly they can in their calling; we serve a good Master: O how men strive for a corruptible Crown, how much more should we for an incorruptible! how careful should we be in Studying, Preaching, living well, &c?
2. It may serve to uphold us in the midst,Use 2. and against all discouragements; our office is not onelyonly painful, but oftentimes fruitless, thankless; and perilous: A Minister shall have to do with such dull ones, as he must teach them as a childe new weaned, with line upon line, precept upon precept; others are so wretched, as that by no means they will be reclaimed; yea, oftentimes they may receive unkindeness where they least expect it; people count our labors nothing, which yet we finde such as we are scarce able to undergo; others grudge at our maintenance, otherwhile we shall (having delivered things never so carefully) be taxed by some of ignorance, by others of malice;Ier. 20. 7. others will raise up lyes and slanders against us, and so requite our pains; others will persecute us, as Demetrius, and Alexander the Copper-Smith did the Apostles; yea, the more painful we are, the harder we shall be dealt with: Now against all those and the like, hath not a Minister need to have something to comfort and hearten him? This will do it fully; the incorruptible Crown will pay for all, we must look up to that: Contrarily, what will be the reward and end of all unfaithful Ministers, that starve and mislead their Flock, that live in jollity and at ease, &c? Oh, their reward will be with the unfaithful Servant, to be taken and bound hand and foot, and thrown into utter darkness: Then shall they pay for all the wages taken without doing any work; so for all their ease, which will be turned into pain and wo; They shall then give an account for all the souls that they have caused to perish.At what time they shall receive their reward.
Q. But when shall Gods Ministers have their Crown?
Answ. When Christ shall appear and come to Judgement: O then, if he never come, we shall never have our Crown! O doubt not once hereof! He shall certainly come to Judgement: Its an Article of our faith, and which is often mentioned in Scripture, See Matth. 25. 31. Acts 2. 11. 1 Thess. 4. 14. 2 Thess. 1. 10. Rev. 1. 7. Therefore let neither the good doubt hereof, to become slack or faint, nor the wicked, to continue careless.Obj.
Obj. But when will it be,Sol. It will be long first?
Answ. It cannot be long ere it be, for we be in the latter end of the last times; but if it were, our life is not long, and in the end thereof we shall have one half of our Crown, and our bodies shall rest for the other until the day of Judgement; therefore live by Faith, and wait, and be not short breathed: If one part tarry a while, it will be so wonderful when it comes,Use 3. as that it will abundantly pay for all.
3. For People; If they be good sheep, brought from their wandring, turn'd from goats to sheep, and be ruled by the government of their godly Pastors,2 Tim. 4. 8. they shall also have this incorruptible Crown of glory: For the stubborn and disobedient, that will retain their goatish qualities, that wil not be brought home by any means that can be used, their condition will be fearful; but in death, when their souls shall be carried into Hell, and on the day of Judgement, when they shall stand on the left hand; they which here would not hear that voice that called them so often to him, shall then be charged to depart from him: As this day will be joyful to the godly, so shal it be terrible to the wicked,