a Witness and a Partaker

The apostle’s care. He was anxious that the elders should tend the flock of God, and make themselves examples to it.

The apostle’s gentleness. “I exhort”: not command, etc.

The apostle’s humility—“also an elder.” He does not insist upon his apostleship, though this was much the greater office.

The apostle’s wisdom—“also an elder.” In this capacity he would have most weight with them in his exhortation.

Besides this, he mentioned two other characters, and calls himself “a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed.”

I. A WITNESS OF THE SUFFERINGS OF CHRIST.

So far as possible, let us be witnesses with Peter.

1. An eye-witness of those sufferings. Apostles must have seen Jesus.

   • He had seen the passion and death of our Lord.
   • In this we cannot participate, nor need we desire to do so.

2. A faith-witness of those sufferings.

   • He had personally believed on Jesus at the first.
   • He had further believed through after-communion with him.

3. A testifying witness of those sufferings.

   • He bore witness to their bitterness when borne by Jesus.
   • He bore witness to their importance as an atonement.
   • He bore witness to their completeness as a satisfaction.
   • He bore witness to their effect in perfect salvation.

4. A partaking witness of those sufferings.

   • In defense of truth he suffered from opposers.
   • In winning others he suffered in the anguish of his heart.
   • In serving his Lord he suffered exile, persecution, death.
   • What he witnessed in all these ways became a motive and a stimulus for his whole life.

II. A PARTAKER OF THE GLORY TO BE REVEALED.

It is important to partake in all that we preach, or else we preach without vividness and assurance.

1. Peter had enjoyed a literal foretaste of the glory on the holy mount.

   • We, too, have our earnests of eternal joy.

2. Peter had not yet seen the glory which shall be revealed, and yet he had partaken of it in a spiritual sense: our participation must also be spiritual. Peter had been a spiritual partaker in the following ways—

   • By faith in the certainty of the glory.
   • By anticipation of the joy of the glory.
   • By sympathy with our Lord, who has entered into glory.

3. Peter had felt the result of faith in that glory—

   • In the comfort which it yielded him.
   • In the heavenliness which it wrought in him.
   • In the courage with which it endowed him.
   • These two things, his witnessing and his partaking, made our apostle intense in his zeal for the glory of God. Because he had seen and tasted of the good word, he preached it with living power and vivid speech. All preachers need to be witnesses and partakers.
   • These made him urgent with others to “feed the flock of God.” Such a man could not endure triflers.
   • These are the essentials for all eminently useful and acceptable service. The Lord will only bless witnesses and partakers.

Hints

I remember a story which runs thus:—To a saint who was praying the evil spirit showed himself radiant with royal robes, and crowned with a jeweled diadem, and said, “I am Christ—I am descending on the earth—and I desire first to manifest myself to you.” The saint kept silence, and looked on the apparition; and then said, “I will not believe that Christ is come to me save in that state and form in which he suffered: he must wear the marks of the wounds and the cross.” The false apparition vanished. The application is this: Christ comes not in pride of intellect or reputation for ability. These are the glittering robes in which Satan is now arraying himself. Many false spirits are abroad, more are issuing from the pit: the credentials which they display are the precious gifts of mind, beauty, richness, depth, originality. Christian, with the saint, look hard at them in silence, and ask them for the print of the nails.—Dr. J. S. Howson.

‘Tis a very sad thing when preachers are like printers, who compose and print off many things, which they neither understand, nor love, nor experience; all they aim at is money for printing, which is their trade. It is also sad when ministers are like gentlemen ushers, who bring ladies to their pews, but go not in themselves—bring others to Heaven, and themselves stay without.—Ralph Venning.