hem. Asia and Bithynia border on the sea--extending eastward--and
are extensive regions. Paul also preached in Galatia, and in Asia;
whether in Bithynia also, I do not know. In the other two he did not
preach. _Strangers_ are such as we call foreigners. He names them so
because they were Gentiles; and it is a thing to surprise us, that
St. Peter, inasmuch as he was an Apostle to the Jews, should still
write to the Gentiles. The Jews called these (of whom we speak)
Proselytes,--that is, associated Jews, such as adopted their law, but
were not of a Jewish family or the blood of Abraham. Thus he writes
to those who had previously been heathen (of the Gentiles), but were
now converted to the faith, and had joined the believing Jews, and he
calls them _elect strangers_, who certainly are Christians, to whom
alone he writes. This is a point worthy of observation, as we shall
hear.

_According to the foreknowledge of God the Father._ They are elect,
he says. How? Not of themselves, but according to God's purpose: for
we should be unable to raise ourselves to heaven, or create faith
within ourselves. God will not permit all men to enter heaven; those
who are his own he will receive with all readiness. The human
doctrine of free-will, and of our own ability, is futile. The matter
does not lie in our wills, but in the will and election of God.

_Through sanctification of the Spirit._ God has predestinated us that
we should be holy, and, moreover, that we should be spiritually holy.
Those precious words, Holy and Spiritual, have been perverted for us
through the greed of the preachers, in that they have denominated the
state of priests and monks holy and spiritual, and have thus
scandalously robbed us of these noble, precious words, as also of the
word Church, since with _them_ the Pope and Bishops are the Church,
while they do according to their own pleasure whatever they choose,
in virtue of the declaration, "The Church has forbidden it." Holiness
is not that which consists in the estate of monks, priests and
nuns,--the wearing of the tonsure and cowl; it is a spiritual word,
meaning that there is an inward holiness in the spirit before God.
And this is the reason specially why he said this, in order to show
that there is nothing holy but that holiness which God produces
within us.

For although the Jews had much outward or ceremonial holiness, there
was yet in this no genuine holiness. Peter would say here, God has
pred