326 V. 2 Peter The heavens and the earth are reserved unto fire. SECT. the tines and seasons revolve as they did before, and there is no such marvellous interposition of this Jesus, as to turn the sun into darkness, III. 4. and the moon into blood, to cause the stars to fall from heaven, to bring down vengeance 5 and destruction on all his enemies, and to confer an ample reward on his servants." But 5 For this they wil this they willingly are ignorant of, and they lingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God continue ignorant of it through affectation, the heavens were of plain and obvious as it is from the word of God, old, and the earth that all nature is in his hand, and at his dis- standing out of the waposal, and that he can in whatsoever time and ter, and in the water. manner he pleases, change and overthrow its universal system; they know and consider not, that by the almighty and ever-efficacious word of God, the heavens, with all their host, were produced of old, and the earth subsisting from the water, with which the mass of it was at first covered; till by the Divine command, it emerged from it, and the liquid element flowed to its appointed channel; and God ordained that the earth should be nourished and supported by water, which is the life of the vegetable crea6 tion. Yet that very element from which it had its original and support, became at length, by Divine appointment, the means of its destruction; whereby, that is, in consequence of which constitution of things, under a different direction and agency of God, the world that then was, being deluged with an irresistible inundation of water, perished, and every thing upon the face of it was destroyed; none of the human race, or other terrestrial animals surviving, but those who, by God's special Providence, 6 Whereby the world that then was, being over-flowed with water perished. reserved 7 were preserved in the ark. It appears from 7 But the heavens e Whereby.] Very possibly & av refers to oupavos, the heavens, mentioned above, and may relate to the windows of heaven bas being opened, and pouring forth upon the earth a destructive deluge of water. The day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night. gainst the day of judgment, and perdition of ungodly men. not ignorant of this one thing, That one day is with the Lord as a V. 227 reserved unto fire a- has appointed for the display of his righteousness SEC1. at the universal judgment, and for the destruction of ungodly men, who alas! so generally 2 Peter abound, and towards whom his patience has III. 7. 8 But, beloved, be been so long exercised. This is indeed in the 8 course of Divine Providence long delayed; but let not this one thing be hid from you, my dearly beloved, that one day [is] with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day, all the divisions of our time are so absolutely disproportionable to his eternity, that the difference between one and another of them seems to be lost in his presence; and a vengeance certainly to be inflicted after a thousand years, is nearer in his estimation, than that which is to be And indeed 9 thousand years and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not executed to-morrow is in ours. slack concerning bis promise, (as some men any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. as to the delay of this awful season, the Lord count slackness;) but is not slow concerning the accomplishment of his is long-suffering to us- promise to his people, who look for this comward, not willing that plete deliverance, as some under the infirmities of their impatience, may be ready to count [it] slowness but good reasons are to be assigned for it, most consistent with the perfections of the Divine nature; especially this, That he is longsuffering towards us, and endures in great compassion, as not willing that any should perish, but that all should come over to repentance, and thereby to salvation; to which, by the exercise of this patience, he seems tenderly and graciously to invite the worst and most unworthy of mankind. But at length the day of patience will have its period, and this day of retribution will come suddenly and irresistibly; yes, sirs, vens the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, Mat. xxiv. 43, will break in upon men, when they least expect it, with a terrible alarm; even that day, in which the heavens shall pass away 10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night: in the which the hea f One day as a thousand years.] This was, as many have observed, a proverbial expression among the Jews, to signify, that no finite duration bears any proportion to the eternity of God. Plutarch has a passage exactly parallel to it in his discourses on the slowness of the divine vengeance. g The day of the Lord.] It has always appeared surprising to me, that Dr. Hammond should refer this context to the coming of Christ to the destruction of Jerusalem. Mr. Ray has most solidly confuted him at large, in his three Discourses, p. 244; 245, urging the opposition between h Hastening 10 328 V. We should then be diligent to be found of him in peace : the earth also, and the shall be burnt up. works that are therein SECT. away with a great noise, and the elements, of vens shall pass away which this goodly frame of nature is with a great noise, and composed, the elements shall 2 Peter being set on fire, shall be dissolved, and the earth melt with fervent heat; III. 10, and all its works, shall be burnt up, so that none of the ornaments of nature, or of art, shall any longer continue; but the whole shall be one un11 distinguished heap of smoaking desolation. 0, 11 Seeing then that therefore, be persuaded to lay this to heart, and all these things shall seriously and daily reflect with yourselves, since bedissolved, what manall these things which are now so ready to en- ye to be in all holy gross your thought and your affection, shall be conversation and goddissolved,what manner of persons ought ye to be in liness. 12 ner of persons ought the elements shall melt 13 Nevertheless, we heavens and a new the exercise of holy conversation and piety. We, 12 Looking for and Christians, I say, who have the express reve. hasting unto the comlation of these things, how should we be affected God, wherein the heaing of the day of with them, looking for, and as it were hastening vens being on fire, on with our ardent wishes, the coming of the shall be dissolved, and day of God, though it be attended with so much with fervent heat? terror, though it be the day in which the heavens being on fire, as I said, shall be dissolved, and the 13 elements shall melt with fervent heat? Yet still, through the Divine grace, it is a day that according to his prowe have reason, not only to wish, but even to mise, look for new long for, as we, according to the the tenor of his earth, wherein dwellunfailing promise, look for a glorious and trans- eth righteousness. porting change, which will then commence, for new heavens and a new earth, new and everlasting abodes, which Divine mercy will then open to our raptured view, into which it will conduct us, and in which righteousness, perfect 14 holiness and felicity, dwelleth. Therefore, my loved, seeing that ye beloved, bearing these great truths in your minds, look for such things, give up your whole souls to their influence, and be diligent that ye expecting these things, these most awful and im- may be found of him in peace, without spot portant scenes, endeavour with the utmost dilis and blameless; gence, that ye may be found by him, by your great Lord, who will preside over even this dissolving word in peace, and may be presented 15 spotless and blameless before him. And while this triumphant season is delayed, account the the long-suffering of long-suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ to pro- even as our beloved ceed, as it really does, not from the least defect brother Paul also, acof power, or forgetfulness of his promise, but cording to the wisdom from his gracious desire to promote the salvation h Hastening on, &c.] This is the emphasis of the original expression, according to the version of Erasmus Schmidius, supported by several pertinent quotations of 14 Wherefore, be 15 And account that our Lord is salvation; given from the classics, by Raphelius, (Annot. ex Polyb. and ex Herod in loc.) and by Mr. Blackwall, (Sacr. Class. Vol. II. p 180. Not wresting the scriptures to our destruction. 329 V. given unto him, hath of his people, and to afford to all who are SECT. willing to embrace it, an opportunity of secur written unto you; ing this final and everlasting deliverance; as also 2 Peter our beloved brother Paul, whom I am far from III. 15, honouring the less on account of his being sent to the Gentiles, according to the wisdom given to him by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, has written. The passage to which I refer, is in a letter immediately directed to the Romans, but it may be considered as designed for you, and for the general use of all Christians: I mean that in which he expressly testifies, that the goodness of God leadeth to repentance; (Rom. ii. 4.) 16 As also in all his As also in all [his] other epistles; speaking in 16 epistles, speaking in them of such persons as I have now described; in which are some for undoubtedly the words are peculiarly applithings hard to be un- cable to them: In which writings of his, and derstood, which they particularly in that from whence these words are unstable wrest, as they taken, there are some things hard to be underdo also the other scrip- stood which the unteachable and unstable torture tures, unto their own and wrest, as they also do other scriptures, whether belonging to the Old Testament or the that are unlearned and destruction. ¡ Our brother Paul.] It is very evident from hence, not only that Peter maintained a reverend regard for St. Paul, and looked upon him as a brother, but also, that he had seen his epistle before he wrote this. k Has written to you.] Lord Barrington is of opinion, that this refers to some epistle not now extant, which St. Paul wrote to the proselytes of the gate; imagining the converting and edifying them to have been a mixed province, partly managed by the apostles of the circumcision, and partly by those of the uncircumcision. Misscell Sacra. Ess. II. p. 110. But as I think the whole foundation of this distinction groundless, I look upon this passage as a very instructive admonition to all Christians, to consider St. Paul, and the other apostles, as writing to them in their epistles, so far as a similarity of circumstances would admit. In which view it is of infinite importance that we should consider them, as written to us, in like manner as St. Peter tells us, even the ancient prophets considered the great subjects of which these epistles treat as relat ing to them. 1 Pet. i. i. 12. Some things hard to be understood.] Some by Ev og understand not the epistles of Paul, but the things spoken of. But as these are plainly mentioned as spoken of in the scriptures, this interpretation will still leave us under a necessity of vin New, dicating the perspicuity of some part of 330 V. Reflections on the character and danger of scoffers. SECT. New, to their own destruction: putting such perverse interpretations upon them, with some shew or colour of reason, as no candid man 2 Peter 17 mit. on all III. 16. would on the whole have thought of, or will ad- 17 Yetherefore, beYou therefore, dearly beloved knowing loved, seeing ye know [these things] before, knowing especially, in how these things before, beawful a manner the scene will close, and what ware: lest ye also, being led away with dreadfui vengeance will be executed the error of the wickwicked men, and especially on those that pollute ed, fall from your the church of Christ, into which they have pro- own stedfastness. fessed to enter; guard [yourselves] that ye may not, being entangled with the error of the ungodly, fall from your own stedfastness, which by God's assistance you have hitherto retained. 18 But grow in grace, more and more, advancing from one state of practical religion to another, and increasing daily in the knowledge of our Divine Lord and almighty and all gracious Savi our, Jesus Christ; to him [be] glory throughout all the churches, and all the creation of God, both now and for ever. Amen. of 18 But grow in grace and in the knowledge our Lord and Savihim be glory both now and for ever. Amen. our Jesus Christ. To Ver. 5 IMPROVEMENT. WHO is there, that can be so sluggish and lethargic, as not to be in some measure awakened and alarmed by the awful views here given, of the dissolution, as well as the creation of the world, by the word of God! Who must not even tremble, when he turns his eye back to the dreadful ruin brought on it by the universal deluge; when that element, which had been, and is, the 6 means and instrument of life to the whole animal creation, at the Divine signal, became the means and instrument of death! Who can be unaffected, when he seriously reflects on the heavens 10 passing away with a great noise? on the elements melting with fervent heat? on the burning up the earth, and all things therein? Let scoffers who walk after their own lusts, madly deride the promise of his coming; let them deliver over their taunts and in3 sults to each other, through the succession of a thousand years ; were his coming at the distance of ten thousand generations, or a yet remoter distance, they who have any just impression on their g minds, of the eternity of God, or the immortality of the human soul, would discern the important day of final retribution, as immediate and present to their view. While they scoff and deride the tremendous reality, let us hear the declaration of its approach with the profoundest attention; and let our souls enter deeply into the alarming and important reflection. If indeed we look for such 8 11 great |