6. But how is indifference to this life to be accomplished? Peter goes
on to say: "Be subject to every ordinance of man ... whether to the
king ... or unto governors"; again, "Servants, be in subjection to
your masters ... also to the froward." How is it consistent with royal
citizenship in a celestial country to be a pilgrim on earth? How can
we live here with wives and children, houses and lands, and being
citizens under a temporal government, and yet not be at home? There is
a distinction here which, as before said, was at first difficult for
the beloved apostles themselves to understand. But to Christians,
especially those of today, it should be clear. Christ and the apostles
do not, in this teaching, design the rejection of external government
and human authority--what Peter here terms ordinances of men. No, they
permit these to remain as they are; moreover, they enjoin us to submit
to and make use of them.
7. This is the difference to be kept in mind: We are to conduct
ourselves in our earthly stations and occupations as not regarding
this life our true kingdom and best good. And we are not to think the
life beyond holds nothing more nor better than what we possess here,
as do the Jews and the Turks. Although they believe in the
resurrection of the dead, they carnally imagine the future life will
be like the present except for its perfect peace and happiness, its
freedom from misfortune, persecution and all ills. It is the
prerogative of the Pope and his holy epicures to believe nothing in
any respect.
Every Christian, be he lord or servant, prince or subject, should
conduct himself as befits his station, using in trust whatever God has
given him--dominion and subjects, house and home, wife and children,
money and property, meat and drink. He is to regard himself solely as
a guest of earth, as one eating his morsel of bread or taking his
lunch in an inn; he must conduct himself in this earthly harbor as a
pious guest. Thus may he actually be a king reigning with fidelity, or
a lord faithful to his office, and at the same time declare: "I count
nothing on this life. I do not expect to remain here. This is but a
strange country to me. True, I am seated in the uppermost place at
table in this inn; but the occupant of the lowest seat has just as
much as I, here or yonder. For we are alike guests. But he who
assigned my duty, whose command I execute, gave me orders to conduct
myself piously and honorably in this inn, as becomes a guest."
8. So should Christians in all stations of life--lords and ladies,
servants and maids--conduct themselves as guests of earth. Let them,
in that capacity, eat and drink, make use of clothing and shoes,
houses and lands, as long as God wills, yet be prepared to take up
their journey when these things pass, and to move on out of life as
the guest moves on out of the house or the city which is not his home.
Let them conduct themselves as does the guest, with civility toward
those with whom they come in contact, not infringing on the rights of
any. For a visitor may not unrestrainedly follow his own pleasure and
inclinations in the house of a stranger. The saying is: "If you would
be a guest, you must behave civilly; otherwise you may promptly be
shown the door or the dungeon."
9. Christians should be aware of their citizenship in a better
country, that they may rightly adapt themselves to this world. Let
them not occupy the present life as if intending to remain in it; nor
as do the monks, who flee responsibility, avoiding civil office and
trying to run out of the world. For Peter says rather that we are not
to escape our fellows and live each for himself, but to remain in our
several conditions in life, united with other mortals as God has bound
us, and serving one another. At the same time, we are to regard this
life as a journey through a country where we have no citizenship--where
we are not at home; to think of ourselves as travelers or pilgrims
occupying for a night the same inn, eating and drinking there and then
leaving the place.
10. Let not the occupants of the humbler stations--servants and
subjects--grumble: "Why should I vex myself with unpleasant household
tasks, with farm work or heavy labor? This life is not my home anyway,
and I may as well have it better. Therefore, I will abandon my station
and enjoy myself; the monks and priests have, in their stations,
withdrawn themselves from the world and yet drunk deeply, satisfying
fleshly lusts." No, this is not the right way. If you are unwilling to
put up with your lot, as the guest in a tavern and among strangers
must do, you also may not eat and drink.
Similarly, they who are favored with loftier positions in life may
not, upon this authority, abandon themselves to the idea of living in
the sheer idleness and lustful pleasure their more favored station
permits, as if they were to be here always. Let them reason thus:
"This life, it is true, is transitory--a voyage, a pilgrimage, leading
to our actual fatherland. But since it is God's will that everyone
should serve his fellows here in his respective station, in the office
committed to him, we will do whatever is enjoined upon us. We will
serve our subjects, our neighbors, our wives and children so long as
we can; we would not relax our service even if we knew we had to
depart this very hour and leave all earthly things. For, God be
praised, had we to die now we would know where we belong, where our
home is. While we are here, however, on the way, it is ours to fulfill
the obligations of our earthly citizenship. Therefore, we will live
with our fellows in obedience to the law of our abiding-place, even
unto the hour wherein we must cross the threshold outward, that we may
depart in honor, leaving no occasion for complaint."
11. Thus, mark you, should every Christian conduct himself here on
earth, according to Peter. In the first place, he should know where is
his real home, his fatherland. We learn this through faith in Christ,
whereby we become children of God, heirs of eternal life, citizens of
heaven. Accordingly, we sing: "Now we pray thee, Holy Spirit, for true
faith," etc., when we depart home from this wretchedness. This
sentiment accords beautifully with the text here where Peter calls us
"sojourners and pilgrims"--wayfarers in earthly wretchedness, desiring
home and casting our thoughts beyond the gates of our sojourning-place.
Second, though we must suffer this wretched condition in a foreign
land, we are under obligation to render every honor to the host and to
respect the inn, making the best of whatever may befall us.
12. The prophet Jeremiah found it necessary to give admonition of this
sort to his wretched Jewish countrymen in Babylon who longed
unspeakably to be home again and almost despaired because of having so
long to suffer misery among strangers when many of their brethren were
at home. Other prophets had encouraged them with the promise of soon
being returned. Consequently many of them ceased to till the land and
neglected to provide for a livelihood. To these Jeremiah writes (ch.
29, 10): "Ye must have patience, for ye are not so soon to return--not
till seventy years be accomplished." Meanwhile, though in wretchedness
and captivity, they were to do as he bids in verses 5-7: "Build ye
houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of
them. Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for
your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear
sons and daughters: and multiply ye there, and be not diminished. And
seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried
away captive, and pray unto Jehovah for it; for in the peace thereof
shall ye have peace."
That there in their misery they should build houses and make
themselves citizens of Babylon, should marry and rear children--yes,
give their children in marriage--as if they were to remain there
permanently--this injunction of the prophet was altogether
disagreeable and annoying to them. And still more offensive was the
command to pray for the city and kingdom wherein they were captives.
Much rather would they have prayed for liberation; for, influenced by
the other prophets, they hoped to return home the following year.
13. Now, how was it with them? The godly, faithful ones had reason to
hope and trust in release and a return to their own kingdom. Surely
there was no pleasure, no joy, for them in their present miserable
condition, as in Psalm 137 they testify and complain by the rivers of
Babylon. There they cried and wept and had not an hour of enjoyment
when they thought of home. The long seventy years their hearts
continually stood at the gate ready to depart, so that they had no
inclination whatever to build houses, to cultivate farms, to make
gardens, to take wives and rear children. Nevertheless, the prophet
bids them meet all the requirements of citizens of that country; and
more than that, to pray for their hosts in the same spirit in which
they would pray for their neighbors and fellow-citizens, asking God
for peace and prosperity upon the city.