persecution. Satan was going about "desiring to have them" in the smelting fire which was to test their faith. It was therefore a fitting opportunity for St Peter, who had himself known the shame of falling in the hour of trial, when Satan had "sifted him as wheat," to fulfil his Master's command, "When thou hast turned again strengthen thy brethren."

In v. 12 St Peter says that his object in writing to them was (a) to encourage them, (b) to testify that this is in very truth the "grace" or "loving favour" of God, and bid them stand fast in it. What is this "favour"? Does it refer only to the immediately preceding section about persecution or to the whole theme of the Epistle? Probably to the latter, including the thought of suffering as one item in God's work of loving favour. Their privileges were part of God's eternal purpose, the extension of God's "favour" to Gentiles (i. 10) had been long foretold and is now revealed.

It is on that "favour" that they are to set their hope (i. 13). Husbands and wives are fellow-heirs of the “favour” or free gift of life iii. 7. God's "favour" is only bestowed upon the humble v.6: let them therefore humble themselves to bear the discipline of suffering which He is sending upon them. It is the God of all "favour" who called them to eternal glory in Christ (v. 10): if the road to that glory leads through a short tract of suffering it is no mark of disfavour but rather of favour, because such suffering is the prelude to the glory.

The three main topics of the Epistle are: (a) the privileges of Christians, (b) the consequent duties of Christians, (c) the present trials of Christians. These three topics respectively form the theme of the three sections into which the Epistle may be divided : (a) i.—ii. 10, (b) ii. 11—iv. 11, (c) iv. 12—v. 14. But the Epistle is no formal treatise capable of being strictly analysed, and the three topics are to some extent interwoven throughout.

(a) The privileges of Christians.

They are the New Israel of God, chosen by God's foreknowledge, sanctified by the Holy Spirit, sprinkled with the Blood of Christ as the Covenant Victim. They are begotten to a living hope of attaining to an incorruptible inheritance which has all along been kept in reserve for them. Prophets long ago foretold this

extension of God's favour to them. Angels are watching this development of God's all-embracing plan of love with eager eyes. They have been ransomed from slavery, as Israel was from Egypt. They are living stones built into a holy Temple of which Christ is the corner stone. They are a holy nation, a peculiar people, a royal priesthood. They are begotten by the word of God who lives and abides for ever. They are called to eternal glory.

(b) The duties of Christians.

Such privileges carry with them corresponding responsibilities. In the first section therefore St Peter bids his readers to gird themselves for active service with sober earnestness and confident hopefulness (i. 13). They must prove themselves obedient children. In the days of their ignorance it was more excusable to follow the shifting fashion of their own wayward desires, but now they have been called by One who is all-holy and therefore they must be holy (14-16). In claiming God as their Father they must remember that He is also the Judge, by whom everyman's work must be tried, and He will not shew partiality or favouritism to His children. They must therefore pass their time as sojourners in the world in reverent fear of offending God (17).

The seed from which they are begotten is nothing less than the word of God who lives and abides for ever, its fruits in their lives should therefore be of the same character. Their love for their fellow-members in God's family must be heartfelt and unrelaxed. Malice, guile, hypocrisy or unkind talk must be put away (i. 22—ii. 1)..

In the exercise of their "holy priesthood" they must offer spiritual sacrifices to God (ii. 5). As a "peculiar people” it is their task to proclaim the excellences of the God who has called them out of darkness (ii. 9).

In the second section the duties of Christians are emphasized in fuller detail. They must remember that they are only settlers in the world whose true home is in heaven, but there are all kinds of fleshly lusts carrying on a constant campaign against their soul, and from these they must abstain (ii. 11). They must set an example of honourable conduct to the heathen among whom they live (12).

Though they are not of the world they are in the world and must submit to all the institutions which God has appointed for its orderly governance. The state, the household, the family are all intended to be earthly copies of divine ideals. As citizens they must honour the Emperor and magistrates, Christian liberty must not be misused as a cloak for social or political anarchy. They are only free because they are God's bondslaves. As such they must give all men their due honour, and towards their brethren in Christ this means love. Though they can no longer worship the Emperor, reverent fear of God in no way excludes but rather demands honour to the Emperor (ii. 13-17).

As members of an earthly household the fear of God should prompt servants to submit to their masters, even though they may be unreasonable and awkward to deal with. To suffer injustice with patience will win God's verdict of "well done." It is the path which the Master trod and the servant is called to tread in His steps (ii. 18-22).

As members of an earthly home wives should submit to their husbands even though they are still heathen. The spectacle of a Christian wife's chaste conduct is a more potent force than argument to win her husband to the cause of Christ. Instead of outward finery the wife's truest adornment is a meek and quiet spirit. If they claim to have proved themselves true daughters of Sarah they must imitate her submission. The saintly women of old owed their charm to their persistence in well-doing, undisturbed by any excited exhibition of panic (iii. 1-6). But such submissive conduct on the part of the wife involves a corresponding duty on the part of a Christian husband. Husband and wife not only share an earthly home but are also co-heirs of the gift of life. Both are "chosen vessels" of God, but the wife is cast in a more fragile mould and therefore needs to be treated with the greater honour. Conjugal intercourse must be based upon this conception, otherwise the blessing promised to united prayer will be curtailed (iii. 7).

Besides such particular duties there are obligations binding upon all Christians alike. Unanimity, sympathy, love as brethren, tenderness, humility should be the characteristics of the Christian society. There should be no spirit of retaliation of "evil for evil, or reviling for reviling." Rather curses should

be met with blessings, for blessing is the special inheritance to which Christians are called.

The allusion to evil and reviling suggests advice as to how it may be avoided by devoted well-doing (iii. 13). But if, in spite of all their efforts, Christians are called upon to suffer for righteousness' sake they must not be panic-stricken. If only they keep the presence of Christ as their Master enshrined in their hearts, they will silence their revilers by living Christ-like lives, and must be ready to answer for their faith with meekness and reverent fear.

Suffering should be faced in the same spirit with which Christ met His sufferings in the flesh (iv. 1). Their past career of heathen profligacy has been all too long. The remainder of their earthly life must be regulated by the will of God and not by the wayward desires of man (iv. 2). Christians should live in watchfulness and soberminded prayer because the end of all things is approaching. Above all their love towards one another should never be relaxed (iv. 7 f.).

They are stewards whom God has entrusted with varied gifts to be used in His service. Claims upon their hospitality should be met without a murmur. Those who have gifts of utterance must remember that their message is not their own but God's. Those whose duty it is to minister must do their work with all the strength that God gives them (iv. 10 f.).

In c. v. St Peter gives a special message to the Presbyters. He bids them shepherd God's flock not under a sense of compulsion or with any sordid mercenary motives but willingly and gladly, not domineering over those entrusted to their care but leading them by their example (v. 1—4).

Those who are junior in age or office should humbly submit to their seniors.

In short all Christians should gird themselves with humility in their relations towards each other, and above all in their attitude towards God, humbly submitting to whatever discipline of suffering He may impose upon them. To be anxious and worried is to distrust God's loving care (v. 5—7).

(c) The present trials of Christians.

In i. 7 the varied trials through which Christians have to pass

are described as the smelting fire to test the purity of their faith.

In ii. 12 Christians are liable to be denounced as malefactors. In ii. 18 servants who suffer wrongfully are to bear it patiently. By so doing they may imitate Christ's example and follow in His steps.

In iii. 9 Christians are to meet revilings with blessings. (iii. 13) Zealous devotion to what is good will probably spare them from injury, but if they should be required to suffer for righteousness' sake it is a blessed thing. If only they maintain a good conscience by persistent good conduct they may shame their maligners into silence. But if God's will should require them to suffer it is far better to suffer for well-doing than for evil-doing. Let them consider the sufferings of Christ. His death was:

(a) The termination of sin once and for all (åraέ). (b) The opportunity for new and wider service. By dying He was able to win access to God for the Gentiles (iμâs). Set free by death His human spirit was quickened for new activity in the world of spirits. He went and preached to the spirits in prison. (c) It was the prelude to glory. He who then suffered and died is now seated at the right hand of God, supreme over angels, principalities and powers.

(iv. 1) Christians should therefore face sufferings in the flesh, armed with the same conceptions which enabled Christ to endure the Cross and despise the shame. They should regard suffering in the flesh as a means of terminating the old regime of sin and fleshly life, to live a new life unto God in the spirit.

In iv. 12 St Peter again reminds his readers that sufferings are a smelting fire to test their faith and character. They must not therefore be regarded as a strange misfortune happening by chance. It should be a matter of joy to have fellowship in Christ's sufferings in order that they may have exultant joy at the revelation of His glory. To be reproached in the name of Christ is a blessed thing for it means that the spirit of that "glory" is already resting upon them.

The process of judgment is already beginning and it starts with God's own household first. Even in these initial stages of judgment the process by which the righteous are judged and