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Ver. 8. Be courteous] Gr. φιλοφρονες, friendly minded, ready to any good office. Christianity is no enemy to courtesy, but includes it. See the practice of it in Abraham and the Hittites, Boaz and his reapers, the angels’ and apostles’ salutati ons, the primitive Christians’ holy kiss, in use in Irenaeus’s time, and Tertullian’s, till taken away from the abuse it grew rote; as likewise their love feasts.
Ver. 9. Railing for railing] Convitium convitio regerere, quid aliud est quam lutum luto purgare? saith one. To render railing for railing, is to think to wash off dirt with dirt. That ye should inherit a blessing] Blessings by words, properly, ευλογιαν. They that will speak good words to men, shall hear good words from God; they shall have hi s good word for them in all places, and in the hearts of their greatest enemies, as Jacob and Job had.
Ver. 10. Love life] Man is ζωον φιλοζωον, a creature that loves life, saith Aristotle. Who is the man that willeth life? saith David, Psalms 34:12. And hereunto every man will be ready to answer, Ego, I do, as Austin observeth. But when the condition shall be added, Cohibe linguam, &c., Refrain thy tongue, &c., then, saith he, scarce any will appear or accept the motion. And see good days] That is, prosperous and peaceable days; for all the days of the afflicted are evil, Proverbs 15:15, a joyless life is no life. Rebecca was weary of her life, and so was Elijah when he sat under the juniper. Multi etiam magni viri sub Eliae iunipero sedent. For many great men have sat under Elijah’s juniper tree. It is many a good man’s case.
Ver. 11. Seek peace and ensue it] A contentious man never lacks woe. Ut habeas quietum tempus, perde aliquid, was a proverb at Carthage, as Austin relates it; Et concedamus de iure ut careamus lite. For a quiet life let a man part with his right sometimes.
Ver. 12. For the eyes of the Lord] Should not God see as well as hear, his children should want many things. We apprehend not all our own wants, and so cannot pray for relief of all. He, of his own accord, without any monitor, is wont to aid us. His ears are open unto, &c.] Gr. His ears are unto their prayers; q.d. though their prayers are so faint that they cannot come up to God, God will come down to them. He can feel breath, when no voice can be heard, Lamentations 3:56. Fletu saepe agitur non affatu.
Ver. 13. And who is he that will, &c.] Natural conscience cannot but do homage to the image of God stamped upon the natures and works of the godly; as we see in the carriage of Nebuchadnezzar and Darius toward Daniel. I have known some (saith Mr Bolton) the first occasion of whose conversion was the observation of their stoutness under wrongs and oppressions, whom they have purposely persecuted with extremest hate and malice.
Ver. 14. But and if ye suffer] q.d. Say you meet with such unreasonable men, made up of mere incongruities and absurdities, that will harm you for well doing, yet you shall be no losers, 2 Thessalonians 3:3.
Ver. 15. Sanctify the Lord God] Consider and conceive of him, as he stands described in the Scriptures, and as related to his people, resting upon his power and love, for safety here, and salvation hereafter. Ready always to give an answer] Gr. To make apology, a bold and wise profession of the truth, with due observation of just circumstances. To dissemble is ever a fault; but not to profess is then only a fault, when a man is silent, Intempestive et loco minime idoneo, at an unfit time and place. Let me be counted and called proud, or anything, Mode impii silentii non arguar, said Luther, so I be not guilty of a sinful silence. To every man that asketh] Christians should in this case stay till they are asked. Cyprian reproveth the rashness of those in his time, that would go of their own accord to the heathen magistrates, professing themselves Christians; whereby they were put to death. This made one of the persecutors cry out, O miseri, si libet perire num vobis rupes aut restes desunt? O wretches, can ye find no way else to despatch yourselves, but that I must be thus troubled with you Christ, saith Cyprian, would have us rather confess than profess our religion, Now, he confesseth, that doth it being asked; as he professeth, that doth it of his own free accord. A reason of the hope] Not every trifling question or malicious cavil. Christ answered the governor not a word to some things, and yet he witnessed a good confession before Pontius Pilate, 1 Timothy 6:13. With meekness and fear] Lest you should dishonour a good cause by an ill carriage. Austin professeth this was that which heartened him, and made him to triumph in his former Manichism, that he met with feeble opponents, and such as his nimble wit was easily able to overturn. Carolostadius also had the right on his side, but was not able to make it out and maintain it against Luther.
Ver. 16. Having a good conscience] Which you cannot have if you deny or but dissemble the truth. George Marsh, martyr, being examined before the Earl of Derby, kept himself close in the point of the sacrament. But after his departure, thus he writes: I departed much more troubled in my spirit than before, because I had not with more boldness confessed Christ, but in such sort as mine adversaries thereby thought they should prevail against me; whereat I was much grieved, for hitherto I went about, as much as in me lay, to rid myself out of their hands, if by any means, without openly denying Christ and his word, that could be done. (Acts and Mon.) As of evildoers] Malefactors, not martyrs. They may be ashamed that falsely accuse] This is an excellent way of stopping an open mouth. Oh, these real apologies are very powerful. Thus did the primitive Christians plead for themselves, Non aliunde noscibiles quam de emendatione vitiorum pristinorura, saith Tertullian (ad Scapulam), known from all others by their reformed lives. Thus did those old Protestants the Waldenses; In moribus sunt compositi et modesti, &c., said that Popish inquisitor their professed adversary. Their doctrine, said he, is naught, but their lives are unblameable. The man’s life (saith Erasmus concerning Luther) is approved of all men; his worst adversaries cannot accuse him of anything in point of practice. Louis king of France, having received certain complaints against the Protestants of Merindol and Chabriers, sent certain to inquire into the business, and hearing what they related to him, he swore a great oath that they were better men than either himself was, or any other of his subjects. (A.D. 1513.) That falsely accuse your good conversation] We should so carry ourselves, saith Jerome, ut nemo de nobis male loqui absque mendacio possit, that no man might speak evil of us without a manifest lie. Nec hostes reperiant quod calumnientur.
Ver. 17. That ye suffer for well doing] The cause, and not the pain, makes the martyr. Together with the Lord Cromwell was beheaded (in Henry VIII’s time) the Lord Hungerford, neither so Christianly suffering, nor so quietly dying for his offence committed against nature. (Speed’s Chron.) What a sad thing was that related by Eusebius, that the cruel persecution under Diocletian was occasioned chiefly by the petulance, pride, and contentions of the pastors and bishops! which gave occasion to the tyrant to think that Christian religion was no better than a wretched device of wicked men. Lactantius to the like purpose crieth out, Nunc male audiunt castiganturque vulgo Christiani, quod aliter quam sapientibus convenit vivant, et vitia sub obtentu nominis celent: Christians are hardly spoken of, and deeply censured by the common people, because they live not as becometh wise men; but cover their vices under pretence of their religion. (De Opific. Dei, Proaem.)
Ver. 18. That he might bring us] To reconcile and bring men again to God was the main end of Christ’s coming and suffering. This is the wonderment of angels, torment of devils, &c. The just for the unjust] Oh, the vile dulness of our hearts, that cannot be duly affected herewith! Behold, here was piety scourged for the impious man’s sake, wisdom derided for the fool’s sake, truth denied for the liar’s sake, justice condemned for the unjust man’s sake, mercy afflicted for the cruel man’s sake; life dies for the dead man’s sake. What a suffering was that, when the Just suffered for the unjust, with the unjust, upon unjust causes, under unjust judges, and by unjust punishments, &c. Euripides saith it is but righteous that they that do things not good should suffer things not pleasant; but what had that innocent “Lamb of God” done?
Ver. 19. He went and preached] Righteousness, i.e. repentance, 2 Peter 2:5, and the faith of the gospel, 1 Peter 4:6, whereby some of those many that perished in the waters arrived at heaven, Nunquam sero, si serio. Christ went to them as an ambassador sent by his Father, and spake to their hearts.
Ver. 20. Which sometimes were disobedient] Gr. unpersuadable, uncounsellable. They jeered where they should have feared, and thought Noah no wiser than the prior of St Bartholomew’s in London, who upon a vain prediction of an idle astrologer, went and built him a house at Harrow on the Hill, to secure himself from a supposed flood, foretold by that astrologer. (Holinshed.)
Ver. 21. Baptism doth also now save] It is of permanent use, and effectual to seal up salvation whensoever a man believes and repents. Hence we are once baptized for all. See Ephesians 5:26 Tit 3:5. The pope’s decree says, that confirmation is of more value than baptism, and gives the Holy Ghost more plentifully and effectually. How fitly might the gloss have set upon this decree Palea, or Hoc non credo, as they use to do, when anything in the decrees pleaseth them not! Not the putting away] That none bear himself bold upon his Christendom. Unregenerate Israel is to God as Ethiopia, Amos 9:7. A man may go to hell with baptismal water on his face. But the answer] επερωτημα, the stipulation, or confident interrogation, such as is that of the apostle, Romans 8:33-35, and of Jeremiah pleading with God, Jeremiah 12:1, and reasoning the case with him. David from his circumcision promised himself victory over that uncircumcised Philistine; so may we from our baptism, against all spiritual wickednesses; bring but this confident answer of a good conscience, and the devil will never be able to abide by it. Luther maketh mention of a certain holy virgin, who usually quenched the devil’s fiery darts with the water of baptism. For whensoever he tempted her to evil, she confidently answered Christiana sum, I am a Christian, I have been baptized, and therein promised to renounce the devil and all his works. For to that custom of asking the party to be baptized, and taking his answer (Credis? credo; abrenuncias? abrenuncio), the apostle seemeth here to allude; or, as others are of the opinion, to the manner of John’s baptism, wherein people confessed (renounced) their sins, and asked him what they should do, Luke 3:10. Intellexit hostis statim virtutem baptismi, &c., et fugit ab ea. Luther.
Ver. 22. Angels and authorities] Psalms 68:17. The word rendered angels signifieth seconds, as being second to Christ, or next to him. See Daniel 10:13.