A practical commentary upon the first epistle general of St. Peter. Vol. II containing the third, fourth and fifth chapters / by the most Reverend Robert Leighton ... ; published after his death at the request of his friends.

Ver. 1.

Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm your selves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh, hath ceased from sin.

THE main of a Christians duty lies in these two, patience in suffering, and avoidance of sin, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 and they have a natu∣ral influence each into the other; altho affliction sim∣ply doth not, yet affliction sweetly and humbly carri∣ed doth purifie and disingage the heart from sin, weans it from the world and the common wayes of it. And again, holy and exact walking keeps the Soul in a sound healthful temper, and so enables it to patient suffering, to bear things more easily; as a strong body endures fatigue, heat, and cold, and hardship with ease, a small part whereof would surcharge a sickly constitution. The conscience of Sin, and careless unholy courses, do wonderfully weaken a Soul and distemper it: so that it is not able to endure much, every little thing disturbs it. Therefore the Apostle hath reason, as to insist on these two points so much in this Epistle, so to inter∣weave so often the one with the other, pressing joint∣ly throughout, the chearful bearing of all kind of affli∣ctions.

and the careful forbearing all kind of Sin; and out of the one discourse slides into the other: so here.

And as the things agree in their nature, so in their great Pattern and Principle, jesus Christ, and the Apo∣stle still draws both from thence, that of Patience, ch. 3. ver. 18. that of Holiness here, Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us, &c.

The chief study of a Christian, and the very thing that makes him to be a Christian, is conformity with Christ. This is the Sum of Religion (said that wise Hea∣then) to be like him whom thou worshippest. But the ex∣ample being in it self too sublime, is brought down to our view in Christ, the brightness of God veil'd, and veil'd in our own flesh, that we may look on it. The inaccessible Light of the Deity is so attempered in the humanity of Christ, that we may read our Lesson by it in him, and may direct our walk by it, and that tru∣ly is our only way; nothing but wandring and perish∣ing in all other wayes, darkness and misery out of him, but he that follows me, says he, shall not walk in darkness. And therefore is he set before us in the Go∣spel in so clear und lively colours, that we may make this our whole endeavour to be like him.

Consider here, 1. The high ingagement to this conformity. 2. The nature of it. 3. The actual im∣provement of it. The ingagement lies in this, that he suffered for us. Of this before, only in reference to this, had he come down, as some have mis-imagined it, only to set us this perfect way of obedience, and give us an example of it in our own nature: this had been very much, that the Son of God would descend to teach wretched man, and the great King to descend in∣to man, and dwell in a Tabernacle of Clay, to set up a School in it, for such ignorant accursed creatures, and

did in his own person act the hardest lessons, both in doing and suffering to lead us in both. But the matter goes yet higher than this. Oh! how much higher hath he suffered, not simply as our rule, but as our Surety, and in our stead. He suffered for us in the flesh. We the more obliged to make his suffering our example, be∣cause it was to us more than an example, it was our ransom.

This makes the conformity reasonable in a double respect 1. It is due that we follow him, who led thus as the Captain of our Salvation, that we follow in suf∣fering, and in doing, seeing both were so for us; its strange how some Armies have addicted themselves to their head, to be at his call night and day, in Summer and Winter, to refuse no travel or endurance of hard∣ship for him, and all only to pleasure him, and serve his inclination and ambition, as Caesar's trained bands especially the eldest of them, a wonder what they en∣dured in countermarches and tracing from one Country to another: But besides that, our Lord and Leader is so great and excellent, and so well deserves following for his own worth; this lays upon us an obligation beyond all conceiving, that he first suffered for us, that he endured such hatred of Men, and such wrath of God the Father, and went through death, so vile a death, to procure our life: what can be too bitter to endure? or too sweet to forsake to follow him? Were this duly considered would we cleave to our lusts, or to our ease, would we not through fire and water, yea through death it self, yea were it through many deaths to go after him?

2. Consider as its due, so it is made easie by that his suffering for us; our burden that pressed us to hell, taken off, is not all as nothing that is left to suffer or

do? our Chains that bounds us over to eternal Death being knock'd off, shall we not walk? shall we not run in his ways? Oh! think what that Burden and Yoke was he hath eased us of, how heavy, how unsuf∣ferable it was, and then we shall think what he so truly says, that all he lays on, is sweet, his yoke easie, and his burden light. Oh! the happy change, rescued from the vilest slavery, and called to conformity and Fellowship with the Son of God.

2. The Nature of this Conformity (to shew the nearness of it) is exprest in the very same terms as in the pattern, it is not a remote resemblance, but the same thing, even suffering in the flesh. But that we may take it right, what suffering is here meant, it is plainly this, ceasing from sin; so suffering in the flesh here, is not the enduring of afflictions, which is a part of a Chri∣stians Conformity with his head, Christ, Rom. 8. But this is a more inward and spiritual suffering, it is the suf∣fering and the dying of our Corruption, the taking away the life of sin by the death of Christ, and that death of his sinless flesh works in the Believer the death of sin∣ful flesh, that is the Corruption of his Nature, which is so usually in Scripture called flesh. Sin makes Man base, drowns him in flesh, and the lusts of it, makes the very Soul become gross and earthly, turns it as it were to flesh: so the Apostle calls the very Mind that is unrenewed, a carnal mind. Rom. 8. And what doth the mind of a Natural Man hunt after and run out in∣to, from one day and year to another; is it not on things of this base World and the concernment of his flesh? What would he have, but be accommodated to eat, and drink, and dress, and live at ease; he minds earthly things, savours and relishes them and cares for them; examin the most of your pains, and time,

and your strongest desires, and most serious thoughts, if they go not this way to raise your selves and yours in your Worldly condition: yea the highest projects of the greatest natural Spirits are but earth still, in respect of things truly spiritual; all their State Designs go not beyond this poor life that perishes in the flesh, and is daily perishing, even while we are busiest, upholding it and providing for it: present things, and this lodge of clay, this flesh and its interest, take up most of our time and pains, the most, yea all, till that change be wrought the Apostle speaks of, till Christ be put on, Rom. 13. put ye on the Lord Iesus Christ, and then the other will easily follow, that follows in the Words, make no provision for the flesh to fullfil it in the lusts there∣of. Once in Christ, and then your necessary general care for this natural life will be regulated and mode∣rated by the Spirit. And for all unlawful and enor∣mous desires of the flesh, you shall be rid of providing for these; instead of all provision for the life of the flesh in that sense, there is another guest and another life for you now to wait on, and furnish for: in them that are in Christ that flesh is dead, they are fr••ed from its drudgery, he that hath suffered in the flesh hath rested from sin.

Ceased from sin.] ••e is at rest from it, a Godly Death, as th••y that die in the Lord rest from their labours; he that hath suffered in the flesh and is dead to it, dies indeed in the Lord; rests from the base turmoil of sin, it is no longer his Master. As our sin was the cause of Christs death; his death is the death of sin in us, and that not simply, as he bear a moral pattern of it, but the real working cause of it, hath an effectual influence on the Soul, kills it to sin; I am crucified with Christ, says S. Paul: Faith so looks on the death of Christ, that

it takes the impression of it, sets it on the heart, kills it unto sin: Christ and the Believer do not only be∣come one in law, so as his death stands for theirs, but are in nature, so as his death for sin causes theirs to it. Rom. 6. 3.

This suffering in the flesh being unto death, and such a death [Crucifying] hath indeed pain in it, but what then, it must be so like his, and the believer like him, in willingly enduring it; all the pain of his suffering in the flesh, his love to us digested, and went through it, so all the pain to our nature in severing and pulling us from our beloved sins, and our dying to them, if his love be planted in our hearts, that will sweeten it, and make us delight in it, love desires no∣thing more than likeness, and shares willingly in all with the party loved; and above all love, this Divine Love is purest and highest, and works strongliest that way, takes pleasure in that pain, and is a voluntary death: as Plato calls love, it is strong as death, makes the strong∣est body f••ll to the ground, so doth the love of Christ make the activest and liveliest sinner dead to his sin. And as death fevers a Man from his dearest and most familiar friends, thus doth the love of Christ and his death flowing from it, fever the heart from its most beloved sins.

I beseech you seek to have your hearts set against sin, to hate it, to wound it and be dying daily to it. Be not satisfy'd, unless ye feel an abatement of it, and a life within you; disdain that base service, and being bought at so high a rate, think your selves too good to be slaves to any base lust, you are called to a more excellent and more honourable service. And of this suffering in the flesh we may safely say what the Apostle speaks of the sufferings with and for Christ, that the parta∣kers

of these sufferings are co-heirs of glory with Christ, if we suffer thus with him, we shall also be glorified with him; if we die with him, we shall live with him for e∣ver.

3. The actual improvement of this Conformity. Arm your selves with the same Mind, or thoughts of this Mortification. Death taken Naturally in its proper sense, being an intire privation of life, admits not of degrees: but this figurative death, this Mortification of the flesh in a Christian, is gradual, in so far as he is renewed, and is animated, and acted by the Spirit of Christ, he is throughly mortified; (for this death, and that new life joyned with it, and here added, ver. 2. go together and grow together) but because he is not totally renewed, and there is in him of that corrupti∣on still that is here called flesh, therefore is this great task to be gaining further upon it, and overcoming and mortifying it every Day, and to this tend the fre∣quent Exhortations of this Nature. Mortifie your mem∣bers that are on the earth. So Rom. 6. Likewise reekon your selves dead to sin, and let it not reign in your mortal bodies. Thus here. Arm your selves with the same Mind, or with this very thought. Consider and apply that suffering of Christ in the flesh to the end, that you with him suffering in the flesh, may cease from sin. Think it ought to be thus, and seek that it may be thus with you.

Arm your selves.] There is still fighting, and sin will be molesting you, though wounded to death, yet will it struggle for life, and seek to wound its enemy; will assault the graces that are in you. Do not think if it be once struck, and you have a hit near to the heart by the Sword of the Spirit, that therefore it will stir no more. No, so long as you live in the flesh in these bow∣els

there will be remainders of the life of this flesh, your natural corruption. Therefore ye must be Armed a∣gainst it. Sin will not give you rest so long as there is a drop of blood in its vein, one spark of life in it, and that will be so long as you have life here. This old Man is stout and will fight himself to death; and at the weakest it will rouze up it felt and act its dying Spirits, as Men will do sometimes more eagerly, then when they were not so weak, nor so near death.

This the Children of God often find to their grief, that corruptions, which they thought had been cold dead, stir and rise up again, and set upon them. A ••assion or Lust, that after some great stroke lay along while as dead, stirred not, and therefore they thought to have heard no more of it, though it shall never recoverfully again to be lively as before, yet will revive in such a measure as to molest, and possibly to foyl them yet again. Therefore is it continually necessary that they live in Arms and put them not off to their dying day; till they put off the body and be altogether free of the flesh: you may take the Lord's promise for victory in the ••nd that shall not fail, but do not promise your self ease in the way, for that will not hold: if at somtimes you be at under, give not all for lost, he hath often won the Day that hath been foiled and wounded in the fight, but likwise take not all for won, so as to have no more conflict, when sometimes you have the better, as in particular battels: be not desperate when you loose, nor secure when you gain them; when it is worst with you do not throw away your Arms, nor lay them a∣way when you are at best.

Now the way to be armed is this, the same mind, how would my Lord Christ carry himself in this case, and what was his business in all places and Companies?

was it not to do the will and advance the glory of his Father? If I be injured and reviled, consider how would he do in this, would he repay one injury with another, one reproach with another reproach? No being reviled he reviled not again; Well through his strength this shall be my way too. Thus ought it to be with the Chri∣stian, framing all his ways, and words, and very thoughts upon that model, the mind of Christ, and to study in all things to walk even as he walked. 1. Studying, it much, as the reason and rule of Mortification. 2. Drawing from it, as the real Cause and Spring of mortification.

The pious Contemplation of his Death will most powerfully kill the love of sin in the Soul, and kindle an ardent hatred of it. The Believer looking on his Jesus crucified for him, and wounded for his transgres∣sions, and taking in deep thoughts of his spotless Inno∣cency that deserved no such thing, and of his matchless love that yet endured it all for him, then will he think, shall I be a friend to that which was his deadly enemy? shall sin be sweet to me, that was so bitter to him, and that for my sake? shall I ever have a favourable thought or lend it a good look, that shed my Lord's blood? shall I live in that for which he died, and died to kill it in me. Oh! let it not be.

To the end it may not be, let such really apply that Death to work this on the Soul, for this is always to be added, and is the main indeed, by holding and fastning that Death close to the Soul effectually to kill the effects of sin in it, to sti••••e and crush them dead by pressing that death on the heart, looking on it, not on∣ly as a most compleat model, but as having a most ef∣fectual vertue for this effect, and desiring him, intreat∣ing our Lord himself, who communicates himself and

the vertue of his death to the Believer, that he would powerfully cause it to flow to us; and let us feel the vertue of it.

Its then the only thriving and growing life to be much in the lively Contemplation and Application of Je∣sus Christ, to be continually studying him, and con∣versing with him, and drawing from him, receiving of his fullness grace for grace. Wouldest thou have much power against sin, and much increase of holiness? let thine eye be much on Christ, set thine heart on him; let it dwell in him, and be still with him. When sin is like to prevail in any kind, go to him, tell him of the insurrection of his enemies, and thy inability to resist, and desire him to suppress them, and to help thee a∣gainst them, that they may gain nothing by their stir∣ring, but some new wound. If thy heart begin to be taken with and move towards sin, lay it before him, the beams of his love shall eat out that fire of these sinful lusts. Wouldest thou have thy Pride, and Passions, and love of the World, and self love kill'd? go suit for the vertue of his death and that shall do it: seek his Spirit, the Spi∣rit of Meekness, and Humility, and Divine Love. Look on him, and he shall draw thy heart heavenwards, and unite it to himself, and make it like himself. And is not that the thing thou desirest?

Notes

• [Summa religionis i∣mitari quem colis.] Pyth.
• Corporis ne∣gotium.