Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:
Ver. 1. A servant] The pope, who will needs title himself, A servant of servants, is herein the successor not of Peter, but of cursed Ham. He stamps in his coin, that nation and country that will not serve thee shall be rooted out, and so exposes his putid hypocrisy.
Like precious faith] Precious as gold tried in the fire; that maketh rich, Revelation 3:18. And like precious (though of different degrees) in regard of, 1. The Author, God. 2. The object, Christ. 3. The means of working it, the Spirit and Word. 4. The end of it, salvation. 5. The essential property of it, of handfasting us to Christ. A child may hold a ring in his hand, as well though not as fast as a man. Let it be our care to be faithful in weakness, though weak in faith: let that faith we have be right, be of price, though not of so great price, though not like precious to such and such eminent believers. Suppose a simple man should get a stone and strike fire with it, and thence conclude it a precious stone; why, every flint or ordinary stone will do that. So to think one hath precious faith because he can be sober, just, chaste, liberal, &c.; why, ordinary heathens can do this: a man may be undone by buying a false commodity at an unreasonable rate.
Through the righteousness of God] i.e. of Christ; and it is so called, not because it is the righteousness of the Godhead, but of him that is God.