Of S. Peter vve reade at large, both in the Gospels, and in the Actes of the Apostles: and namely that Christ designed him, and also made him his vicar (as S. Mathevv for that cause in the catalogue of the Apostles, calleth him Primus, the first, and all antiquitie. Princeps Apostolorum, the Prince of the Apostles) and that he accordingly executed that office after Christes departure, plating the Church first among the Ievves in Hierusalem and in al that countrey and coastes about, as Christ also him self before had preached to the Ievves alone. ^note

But preaching at length to the Gentiles also, according to Christes commi&esset;ion (Mat. 28. v. 19.) and being novv come to Rome, the head citie of the Gentiles, from thence he vvriteth this Epistle to his Christian Ievves, hauing care of them in his absence, no lesse then vvhen he vvas present: and not to the Ievves that vvere at home, (belike because they had S. Iames, or his successor S. Simon Cleophæ, resident vvith them) but ^note to them that vvere dispersed in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, and Bithynia.

^noteAnd that he vvriteth it from Rome, him self signifieth, saying: The Church that is in Babylon saluteth you. ^noteVvhere by Babylon he meaneth Rome, as al antiquitie doth interpret him: not, that he so calleth the Church of Rome, but the heathen state of the Romane empire, vvhich then, and 300 yeres after, vnto the conuersion of Constantinus the Emperour, did persecute the elect Church of Rome, in so much that the first 33 Bishops thereof vnto S. Siluester, vvere al Martyrs.

For the matter vvhereof he vvriteth, him self doth signifie it in these vvordes: This loe the second Epistle I vvrite to you, my deerest, in vvhich (Epistles) I stirre vp by admonition, your sincere minde, that you may be mindeful of those vvordes & c. ^note So he saith there of both together. And againe of the first to the same purpose, in an other place: I haue breefely vvritten, beseeching and testifying that this is the true grace of God, vvherein you stand. ^note For, there vvere at that time certaine Seducers (as ^note S. August. also hath told vs) vvho vvent about to teach Onely faith, as though good vvorkes vvere not necessarie, nor meritorious. there vvere also great persecutions, to compel them vvith terrour to denie Christ & al his religi&obar;. He therfore exhorteth th&ebar; accordingly, neither for persecution neither by seduction to forsake it: though in the first, his exhortation is more principally against persecution: and in the second, more principally against seduction. The first epistle is noted to be very like to S. Paules epistle to the Ephesians, in vvordes also, and so thicke of Scriptures, as though he spake nothing els.

The time vvhen the first vvas vvritten, is vncertaine: the second vvas vvritt&ebar; a litle before his death, as is gathered by his vvordes in the same. c. 1. v. 14.

Previous section