Peter was present with his brethren on that memorable day, when Jesus "led them out as far as to Bethany, and lifted up his hands and blessed them; and while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven." Not one of them gazed with a more eager eye upward till the form of the Saviour vanished in the cloud of glory, or with a heart more full of solemn gladness returned to Jerusalem. Immediately after the outpouring of the Holy Ghost, Peter was honored to open the gates of the kingdom of heaven to the Jews, by preaching the first Gospel sermon properly so called, and that sermon was blessed to the conversion of three thousand souls. After having, along with John, performed a miracle of healing, he delivered an eloquent and convincing discourse, by means of which multitudes were induced to embrace the Gospel; and when brought before the council, he showed how completely our Lord's promise had been performed, that he would give to his apostles "a spirit and a wisdom which all their adversaries would be unable to resist. At his reproof Ananias and Sapphira, who had attempted to impose on the apostles, were struck with instantaneous death. Many of the Samaritans having embraced Christianity in consequence of the preaching of Philip, Peter visited them, and by the laying on of his hands they received the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit. We find him afterwards at Lydda, healing Eneas, who had been eight years confined to his bed by palsy; and at Joppa raising Tabitha from the dead. He who had opened the gate of the kingdom of heaven to the Jews, was called on also, in the case of the centurion Cornelius and his family, to open the same gate to the Gentiles. In consequence of a divine mission he preached to them the Gospel, and while he was preaching it, "the Lord gave testimony to the word of his grace, and shed forth on them abundantly the Holy Ghost. On his return to Jerusalem, Herod Agrippa cast him into prison with the intention of putting him to death by public execution, but he was miraculously delivered by an angel, and restored to liberty. At the meeting of what is ordinarily termed the council or synod of Jerusalem, Peter strongly asserted the freedom of believing Gentiles from all obligation to observe the law of Moses, and urged the circumstances of the conversion of Cornelius and his family, as an irrefragable proof of the doctrine which he taught on that subject. Some time after this, being at Antioch, he acted on this liberal principle, by maintaining an unrestricted freedom of intercourse with the converted Gentiles, till a fear of offending some Jewish Christians, zealous for the law, induced him, from a mistaken notion of expediency, to “withdraw himself." This inconsistent, rather than unprincipled, conduct drew on him the honest reproof of the apostle Paul, who in a very convincing manner showed that his fellow-apostle was now contradicting by action what he had asserted in words, and building up again what he had destroyed. We have no further account of the apostle Peter in the New Testament. A careful attention to the hints met with in authentic church history, has led the best informed writers to believe, that, having re turned to Judea from Antioch, he remained at Jerusalem for some years, and that he then returned into Syria, and from thence visited. those provinces mentioned in the inscription of this epistle, and formed an acquaintance with those churches for whose edification his two epistles were intended. On leaving these parts, he probably went into the Parthian empire, where he appears to have been laboring when this epistle was written. 1 The remaining history of the apostle is involved in obscurity. It is not impossible that he went to Rome after Paul had left it for the last time; and there, now an old man, sealed his testimony with his blood, and obtained the crown of martyrdom, being put to death by the order of the inhuman Nero. It is storied that he was crucified with his head downward-himself observing with characteristic affection and humility, "that he was unworthy of the honor of being crucified in the same way as his Master was." This observation, savoring so much more of the morbid piety of what is called ancient Christianity, than of simple apostolic humility, goes far to discredit the whole story. It seems certain, however, that he was crucified, and that thus was the enigmatic prophecy of our Lord explained by its fulfilment, in which he signified by what death Peter should glorify God—John xxi. 18, 19, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me. Such is a short outline of the more important facts known in reference to the venerable writer of this epistle. The 3 Peter describes himself as an "Apostle of Jesus Christ." word apostle signifies a person sent by another, a messenger. The term is, in the New Testament, generally employed as the descriptive appellation of a comparatively small class of men to whom Jesus Christ intrusted the organization of his Church, and the dissemination of his religion among mankind. At an early period of his ministry "he ordained twelve" of his disciples, "that they should be with him." These he named apostles. Some time afterwards, "he gave to them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of disease;" and "he sent them to preach the kingdom of God." " To them he gave "the keys of the kingdom of heaven," and constituted them princes over the spiritual Israel, that people whom God was to take “from among" the Jews and "the Gentiles for his name. Previously to his death he promised them the Holy Spirit, to fit them to be the founders and governors of the Christian Church. After his resurrection, he solemnly confirmed their call, saying, "As the Father hath sent me, so send I you;" and gave them a commission 1 Clem. Rom. Ep. 1 ad Corinth. c. v. Euseb. H. E. ii. 25, iii. 1. Chron, ad an. xiv. Neronis. Lactant. de mort. persecut., c. ii. Inst. div. iv. 21. 2 For the authorities of the above statement, see note D. 3 Mark iii. 14. Matt. x. 1-5. Mark vi. 7. Luke vi. 13; ix. 1. * Matt. xvi. 19; xviii. 18; xix. 28. Luke xxii. 30. John xiv. 16, 17, 26; xv. 26, 27; xvi. 7-15. • Καθὼς ἀπέσταλκέ με ὁ Πατήρ, κἀγὼ πέμπω ὑμᾶς. 5 وو to "preach the Gospel to every creature.”1 After his ascension, he, on the Day of Pentecost, communicated to them thosesupernatural gifts which were necessary to the performance of the high functions he had commissioned them to discharge; and in the exercise of these gifts, they, in the Gospel history, and in their epistles, with the apocalypse, gave a complete view of the will of their Master, in reference to that new order of things of which he was the author. They "had the mind of Christ. They spoke "the wisdom of God in a mystery." That mystery "God revealed to them by his Spirit," and they spoke it "not in words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth." They were "ambassadors for Christ," and besought men "in Christ's stead to be reconciled to God." They authoritatively taught the doctrine and law of the Lord; they organized Churches, and required them to "keep the traditions," that is, the doctrines and ordinances "delivered to them."2 3 The characteristic features of the apostles as official men were, that they had seen the Lord, and been eye and ear witnesses of what they testified to the world; that they had been called and chosen immediately by Christ; that they were infallibly inspired to declare his doctrine and laws; that they possessed the power of working miracles; and that their commission was, strictly speaking, catholic, extending to the whole Church,-to the whole world." It must be obvious, from this scriptural account of the apostolical office, that the apostles had-could have, in the strict sense of the term-no successors. Their qualifications were supernatural, and their work once performed, remains in the infallible record of the New Testament for the advantage of the Church and the world in all future ages. They are the only authoritative teachers of Christian doctrine and law. All official men in Christian churches can legitimately claim no higher place than that of expounders of the doctrines, and administrators of the laws, found in their writings. Few things have been more injurious to the cause of Christianity, than the assumption, on the part of ordinary office-bearers in the Church, of the peculiar prerogatives of "the holy Apostles of our Lord Jesus." Much that is said of the latter is not at all applicable to the former, and much that admits of being thus applied, can be so, in accordance with truth, only in a very secondary and extenuated To this, the highest and holiest office ever held by mere man, the author of this epistle had been called by his Master; and it appears that, in the exercise of its important functions, his labors were chiefly, though not exclusively, devoted to his "brethren, his kinsmen according to the flesh." Though there is no ground for the assertion, 1 John xx. 21-23. Matt. xviii. 18-20. 2 Acts ii. 1 Cor. ii. 16; ii. 7, 10, 13. 2 Cor. v. 20. 1 Cor. xi. 2. 3 John xv. 27. Acts i. 21, 22. 1 Cor. xv. 8; ix. 1. Acts xxii. 14, 15. 1 Cor. ii. 10. Acts ii. 43. Acts xvi. 4. 2 Cor. x. 8; xiii. 10. 8 Vide Campbell's Lectures on Ecclesiastical History, Lect. v; Kitto's Cyclopædia of Bib. Lit. vol. i. p. 179, &c. 9 Gal. ii. 8, 9. that Peter was the Prince of the Apostles, or had even a permanent presidency among them, yet there can be no doubt he stood very high in the estimation of his brethren-was among those who "seemed to be pillars,"" the very chiefest apostles." 1 "1 II. OF THOSE TO WHOM THE EPISTLE IS ADDRESSED. The persons to whom the epistle is addressed, come next to be considered. They are described first, generally, as "elect," or chosen, and then, particularly, both as to their external circumstances and to their spiritual state and character. With regard to the former, they are "the strangers scattered abroad, throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia." With regard to the latter, they are "elect, according to the foreknowledge of God, through sanctification of the Spirit, to obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ." It has been, and is a question among expositors, who are the persons to whom this epistle is addressed. It is plainly addressed to Christians, and to Christians resident in the countries specified; but, according to one class of interpreters, it is addressed to the Jewish converts resident in these regions; by another class, it is considered as addressed to the Gentile converts resident there; by a third class, it is considered as addressed to those who are called "proselytes of the gate," persons by birth Gentiles, but who had embraced Judaism, and had afterwards been converted to Christianity. We apprehend that the true view of the matter is, that the Epistle was addressed to the Christian converts generally, whether Jews or Gentiles, residing in the countries mentioned. As a majority of these were Jews, and as Peter was not only a Jew, but the Apostle of the Circumcision, it is not wonderful that the circumstances and duties of the persons addressed are spoken of, so frequently, I had almost said, so uniformly, in language referring to the peculiarities of the Jewish economy.2 These persons are described,-first, generally as "elect" or chosen. It appears to me a doctrine not only very plainly revealed in Scripture, but necessarily resulting from the principles of natural religion, that all who enjoy the blessings of Christianity, the saving benefits of pardon, sanctification, and eternal life, do so in consequence of the sovereign free love of God, which, like himself, is necessarily eternal; or, in other words, were elected from unbeginning ages to the happiness bestowed on them. This doctrine is taught with peculiar plainness in the 1st chapter of the Epistle to the Ephesians, 3-5: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ; according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will." 1 Gal. ii. 9. 2 Cor. xi. 5. 2 Vide Michaelis' Introduction, by Marsh, vol. iv. 315-325; Schott Isagoge in lib. N. F. Sac. p. 403. For a particular account of the countries here referred to, vide Steiger Exp. of the First Ep. of Peter, Introd. sec. 6, vol. i. pp. 14–19. At the same time, I apprehend, the word "elect" here, and in a number of other places in the New Testament, does not refer directly to what has been termed the electing decree,' but to the manifestation of it in the actually selecting certain individuals from amidst a world lying in wickedness, that they may be set apart to God, and become his peculiar people. The remark of Leighton appears to me very judicious: "Election here means the selecting them out of the world and joining them to the fellowship of the people of God." This is the election which our Lord speaks of when he says, "Because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen" 2-selected-selected—“ you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you;"3 and the apostle Paul plainly speaks of the election and the vocation of the Corinthians, as the same thing. "Ye see your calling-for God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to naught things that are that no flesh should glory in his presence. As Israel, as a nation, was selected to be a peculiar people to Jehovah, so true Christians are, as individuals, selected to be a part of God's spiritual “purchased inheritance," or peculiar people. 6 5 These selected or chosen persons are described, first, as to their external condition. They are represented as "strangers scattered abroad." The appellation is borrowed from the term generally given to Jews dwelling in Gentile lands. The situation of Christians, while on earth, does not resemble that of Israel dwelling in peace and security in Canaan, but that of Israelites sojourning among strangers and enemies. The selected people of God, while here below, are not gathered into one place, assembled together as citizens of the same city-children of the same family. They will be so by-and-by, but now they are "strangers," "pilgrims," "sojourners," being a small minority among a people whose habits of thought and feeling, whose pursuits and whose pleasures, are altogether alien from theirs; and scattered" strangers, as being not merely far from home, but often far from each other, and but imperfectly enjoying the comfort and support arising from intimate communion with persons of kindred sentiments and affections. Such was the external state of the Christians to whom this epistle was addressed—such is the external state of true Christians still. The particular description of the spiritual state of these selected and dispersed strangers now requires our attention. They are “elect according to the foreknowledge of God"-they are "elect through sanctification of the spirit"-they are "elect to obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus.' 7 Here They are "elect according to the foreknowledge of God." " is the doctrine of election very plainly stated. They were selected 1 Η κατ' ἐκλογὴν πρόθεσις. Rom. ix. 11. 3 See note E. 2 John xv. 19. Hapεmidpois. The word expresses two ideas: not natives of the country in which they are; not settled residents in that foreign country. 6 Η διασπορά.John vii. 35. 7 See note F. |