Wherefore (1) laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, (1) Having laid for the foundation the Spirit of God effectually working by the word, and having built on it three virtues which are the grounds of all Christian actions, that is, faith, hope,... [ Continue Reading ]
(2) As (a) newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: (2) The second is, that being newly begotten and born of the new seed of the incorrupt word, drinking and sucking greedily the same word as milk, we should grow more and more in that spiritual life. And he call... [ Continue Reading ]
(3) If so be ye have tasted that the Lord [is] gracious. (3) He commends that spiritual nourishment for the sweetness and profit of it.... [ Continue Reading ]
(4) To whom coming, [as unto] a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, [and] precious, (4) He advances the same exhortation, but uses another kind of borrowed speech, alluding to the temple. Therefore he says, that the company of the faithful is as a certain holy and spiritual b... [ Continue Reading ]
Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, (5) an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. (5) Continuing, he compares us now to priests, placed for this purpose in the spiritual temple, that we should serve him with a spiritual worship,... [ Continue Reading ]
(6) Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. (6) He proves it by the testimony of the prophet Isaiah.... [ Continue Reading ]
(7) Unto you therefore which believe [he is] precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, (7) By setting the most blessed condition of the believers and triumphs over the other: and also prevents an offence which aris... [ Continue Reading ]
(8) But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: (8) On the other hand, he describes the singular excellency of the elect, and also lest any man sh... [ Continue Reading ]
(9) Dearly beloved, (10) I beseech [you] as strangers and pilgrims, (11) abstain from fleshly lusts, (12) which war against the soul; (9) He returns to that general exhortation. (10) A reason why we ought to live holy, that is, because we are citizens of heaven, and therefore we ought to live not... [ Continue Reading ]
(13) Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they (14) may by [your] good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of (b) visitation. (13) The fourth argument, taken from the profit of so doing: for by this means also we p... [ Continue Reading ]
(15) Submit yourselves to (c) every ordinance of man (16) for the Lord's sake: (17) whether it be to the king, as supreme; (15) That which he spoke generally, he now expounds in detail, describing individually every man's duty. First, he speaks of the obedience that is due both to the laws, and als... [ Continue Reading ]
Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him (18) for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. (18) The second argument taken from the end of this order, which is not only most profitable, but also very necessary: seeing that by that this means virtue is rewarde... [ Continue Reading ]
(19) For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: (19) He declares the first argument more amply, showing that Christian liberty does among all things least or not at all consist in this, that is, to cast off the bridle of laws (as at that time... [ Continue Reading ]
(20) (d) Honour all [men]. Love the (e) brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king. (20) He divides the civil life of man, by occasion of those things of which he spoke, into two general parts: that is, into those duties which private men owe to private men, and especially the faithful to the faithful,... [ Continue Reading ]
(21) Servants, [be] subject to [your] masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. (21) He goes to the duty of servants towards their masters, which he describes with these bounds, that servants submit themselves willingly and not by force, not only to the good a... [ Continue Reading ]
(22) For this [is] thankworthy, if a man for (f) conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. (22) The taking away of an objection: indeed the condition of servants is hard, especially if they have perverse masters, but thus their subjection shall be so much more acceptable to God, if... [ Continue Reading ]
(23) For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an (g) example, that ye should follow his steps: (23) He alleviates the grievousness of servanthood, while he shows plainly that Christ died also for servants, that they should bear so much more patiently this in... [ Continue Reading ]
Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but (24) committed [himself] to him (25) that judgeth righteously: (24) He shows them a remedy against injuries, that is, that they commend their cause to God, by the example of Christ. (25) He seems now to turn his... [ Continue Reading ]
(26) Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. (26) He calls the servants back from considering the injuries which they are constrained to bear, to think instead on the greatness and the... [ Continue Reading ]