24. What then shall we do, you say, when we must suffer such abuse
and without redress? The only resource, Peter says, is to possess
your heart in patience and commit the matter to God. This is all that
remains when they whose duty it is will not help you, nor restrain
and punish the wrong, but even do you violence themselves. If the
evil receive not judicial punishment, let it go unpunished until God
looks into it. Only see that you keep a quiet conscience and a loving
heart, not allowing yourself, on account of the devil and wicked men,
to be disturbed and deprived of your good conscience, your peaceful
heart and your God-given blessing. But if in your official capacity
you are commanded to punish the evil, or if you can obtain protection
and justice from rightful authorities, avail yourself of these
privileges without anger, hatred or bitterness, ay, with a heart that
prompts to give good for evil and blessing for reviling.
25. Such conduct is becoming you as Christians, the apostle says, for
you are a people called to inherit a blessing. Oh, wonderful and
glorious fact, that God has decreed and appropriated to you this
blessing whereby all the riches of his grace and everything good are
yours! and that he will abundantly give you his Spirit to remain with
you, blessing body and soul, if only you hold fast his grace and do
not allow yourselves to be deprived of it. What price would you not
gladly pay for this blessing, were it purchasable, instead of being
freely given, without your merits, and were you privileged thus to
buy the assurance of having a God so gracious, one willing to bless
you in time and eternity? Who would not willingly give even body and
life, or joyfully undergo all suffering to have the perfect assurance
of heart which says: "I know I am a child of God, who has received me
into his grace and I live in the sure hope that I will be eternally
blessed and saved." Think, Peter says, what a vast difference God
makes between you and others because you are Christians. He has
appointed you to be heirs of everlasting grace and blessing and of
eternal life. But they who are not Christians--what have they but a
terrible sentence like a weight about their necks? the sentence
pronouncing them children of the curse and of eternal condemnation.
26. If men would take this to heart, it would be easy by teaching and
persuasion to win them to friendship and kindness toward their
fellow-men; to induce them not to return evil or reviling from motive
of revenge, but when their own privileges and protection and the
punishment of evil cannot be obtained, quietly and peaceably to
suffer injury rather than lose their eternal comfort and joy.
Christians have excellent reason, a powerful motive, for being
patient and not revengeful or bitter in the fact that they are so
richly blessed of God and given that great glory whereof, as Peter
afterwards remarks, they cannot be deprived, nor can they suffer its
loss, if only they abide in it. The apostle emphasizes this fact and
further persuades Christians by citing the beautiful passage in Psalm
34, 12-16:
"He that would love life, and see good days, let him refrain his
tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: and let him
turn away from evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and pursue it.
For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears unto
their supplication: but the face of the Lord is upon them that do
evil."
27. These words the Holy Spirit uttered long ago through the prophet
David, for the instruction and admonition of all saints and children
of God. David presents to us the matter as he daily saw it in his own
life and learned from his own experience, and as he gathered from
examples of the dear fathers from the beginning of the world. "Come
hither, dear children," he would say, "if you will be taught and
advised, I will give you sound instruction as to how we are to fear
God and become his children. Who desires peace and comfort?" "Oh, who
would not desire peace and comfort?" cries the world. For these
everyone seeks and strives, and all the efforts of the world are
directed toward this end.