71 lines
4.3 KiB
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71 lines
4.3 KiB
XML
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<div2 id="iPet.i" n="i" next="iPet.ii" prev="iPet" progress="84.50%" title="Introduction">
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<div class="Center" id="iPet.i-p0.1"><h2 id="iPet.i-p0.2">First Peter</h2>
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<p id="iPet.i-p1">Completed by <span class="smallcaps" id="iPet.i-p1.1">Zech. Merrill</span>.</p>
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</div>
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<hr/>
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<pb id="iPet.i-Page_1001" n="1001"/>
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<div class="Center" id="iPet.i-p1.3">
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<p id="iPet.i-p2"><b>AN</b></p>
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<h3 id="iPet.i-p2.1">EXPOSITION,</h3>
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<h4 id="iPet.i-p2.2">W I T H P R A C T I C A L O B S E
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R V A T I O N S,</h4>
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<h5 id="iPet.i-p2.3">OF THE FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF</h5>
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<h2 id="iPet.i-p2.4">P E T E R.</h2>
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<hr style="width:2in"/>
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</div>
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<p class="indent" id="iPet.i-p3"><span class="smallcaps" id="iPet.i-p3.1">Two</span> epistles
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we have enrolled in the sacred canon of the scripture written by
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Peter, who was a most eminent apostle of Jesus Christ, and whose
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character shines brightly as it is described in the four Gospels
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and in the Acts of the Apostles, but, as it is painted by the
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papists and legendary writers, it represents a person of
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extravagant pride and ambition. It is certain from scripture that
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Simon Peter was one of the first of those whom our Lord called to
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be his disciples and followers, that he was a person of excellent
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endowments, both natural and gracious, of great parts and ready
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elocution, quick to apprehend and bold to execute whatever he knew
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to be his duty. When our Saviour called his apostles, and gave them
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their commission, he nominated him first in the list; and by his
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behaviour towards him he seems to have distinguished him as a
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special favourite among the twelve. Many instances of our Lord's
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affection to him, both during his life and after his resurrection,
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are upon record. But there are many things confidently affirmed of
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this holy man that are directly false: as, That he had a primacy
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and superior power over the rest of the apostles—that he was more
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than their equal—that he was their prince, monarch, and
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sovereign—and that he exercised a jurisdiction over the whole
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college of the apostles: moreover, That he as the sole and
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universal pastor over all the Christian world, the only vicar of
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Christ upon earth—that he was for above twenty years bishop of
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Rome—that the popes of Rome succeed to St. Peter, and derive from
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him a universal supremacy and jurisdiction over all churches and
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Christians upon earth—and that all this was by our Lord's ordering
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and appointment; whereas Christ never gave him any pre-eminence of
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this kind, but positively forbade it, and gave precepts to the
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contrary. The other apostles never consented to any such claim.
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Paul declares himself <i>not a whit behind the very chief
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apostles,</i> <scripRef id="iPet.i-p3.2" osisRef="Bible:2Cor.11.5 Bible:2Cor.12.11" parsed="|2Cor|11|5|0|0;|2Cor|12|11|0|0" passage="2Co 11:5,12:11">2 Cor. xi. 5 and
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xii. 11</scripRef>. Here is no exception of Peter's superior
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dignity, whom Paul took the freedom to blame, and <i>withstood him
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to the face,</i> <scripRef id="iPet.i-p3.3" osisRef="Bible:Gal.2.11" parsed="|Gal|2|11|0|0" passage="Ga 2:11">Gal. ii.
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11</scripRef>. And Peter himself never assumed any thing like it,
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but modestly styles himself an <i>apostle of Jesus Christ;</i> and,
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when he writes to the presbyters of the church, he humbly places
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himself in the same rank with them: <i>The elders who are among you
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I exhort, who am also an elder,</i> <scripRef id="iPet.i-p3.4" osisRef="Bible:1Pet.5.1" parsed="|1Pet|5|1|0|0" passage="1Pe 5:1"><i>ch.</i> v. 1</scripRef>. See Dr. Barrow on the pope's
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supremacy.</p>
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<p class="indent" id="iPet.i-p4">The design of this first epistle is, I. To
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explain more fully the doctrines of Christianity to these
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newly-converted Jews. II. To direct and persuade them to a holy
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conversation, in the faithful discharge of all personal and
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relative duties, whereby they would secure their own peace and
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effectually confute the slanders and reproaches of their enemies.
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III. To prepare them for sufferings. This seems to be his principal
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intention; for he has something to this purport in every chapter,
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and does, by a great variety of arguments, encourage them to
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patience and perseverance in the faith, lest the persecutions and
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sad calamities that were coming upon them should prevail with them
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to apostatize from Christ and the gospel. It is remarkable that you
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find not so much as one word savouring of the spirit and pride of a
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pope in either of these epistles.</p>
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</div2>
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