Verse 12. Beloved, thinke it not strange concerning the fiery triall, which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.
Verse 13. But rejoyce, in as much as ye are partakers of Christs sufferings, that when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
Verse 14. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye, for the Spirit of glory, and of God, resteth upon you: on their part he is evill spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.
Verse 15. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thiefe, or as an evill doer, or as a busie-body, in other mens matters.
Verse 16. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorifie God on this behalfe.
Verse 17. For the time is come that judgement must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the Gospell of God?
Verse 18. And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appeare?
Verse 19. Wherefore, let them that suffer according to the will of God, commit the keeping of their soules to him in well doing, as unto a faithfull Creator.
The Analysis.
The Apostle doth here repeate that exhortation, to suffer persecution aright, which he had heretofore used againe and againe; because this exhortation was very necessary, and containes in it the primary scope of the Epistle. But in this place he repeates it as a pre-occupation or anticipation of an objection or difficulty, which might be made against the foregoing exhortation, wherein he perswaded them to a constant care of all the duties of piety. For they to whom this Epistle was to come, might thus thinke with themselves, that by this profession and practise of piety most grievous persecutions are like to befall them, and that contrary to their expectation, and therefore they are not to be requested by walking in the same way to heape so great evils upon themselves. Of these per-
