on fire, and burning furiously, the elements shall be melted, and the earth with all the works of God and man thereon, shall be utterly destroyed.-That after the present heaven and earth are burnt, a new heaven and a new earth shall appear, into which, according to God's promise, the righteous shall be carried, there to live in unspeakable happiness; an event which Peter himself in his discourse to the Jews, Acts iii. 21. hath termed, the restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

From the foregoing account of the discoveries made in the second epistle of Peter, the attentive reader must be sensible, that they are more grand and interesting, than even those contained in the first epistle; and that to the foreknowledge and declaration of them, a degree of inspiration was necessary, superior to that required in the writing of the first epistle. Consequently, that the matters exhibited in the second epistle, are every way worthy of an apostle of Christ really inspired, such as this writer expressly affirms himself to have been, and of which there can be no doubt.

CHAPTER I.

View and Illustration of the Matters contained in this Chapter.

In the latter part of the apostolical age many false teachers

arose, among whom the Nicolaitans and the Simonians were the most remarkable. These, as Jude tells us, ver. 4. Perverted the grace of God to lasciviousness. They perverted the doctrine of the gospel concerning men's being justified of free grace by faith, without the works of law, so as to make it a pretence for gratifying the lusts of their flesh without restraint. And to gain credit to their impious explications of the doctrines of the gospel, these impostors denied the authority of the apostles of Christ, and arrogated to themselves an illumination and authority superior to theirs. Nay they denied the authority of Christ himself, chap. ii. 1. And having thus set themselves up as the only inspired teachers, (Jude ver. 16. 19.) they assured their disciples, that being justified by faith without works, believers are under no obligation, either to abstain from sin, or to do what is morally good; that Christ hath purchased for them a liberty to gratify all their passions and appetites; and that Christ will not judge and punish them for so doing, nor for any sin whatever.

These doctrines being extremely agreeable to the corruptions of the human heart, were embraced by many, in the latter part of the first age. Wherefore to stop the mouths of those false teachers, who were now gone abroad among the churches, and to prevent the faithful from being seduced by them, and to establish them in the belief of the things which the Lord himself had taught, and which his apostles had delivered in his name, Peter wrote his second epistle, in which he brought these things to their remembrance.

And first of all, in opposition to the calumnies of the false teachers, he assured the brethren to whom this epistle was directed, that Christ had gifted to his apostles, every thing necessary to qualify them for leading mankind to a godly life, and for making them partakers of the divine nature. He had bestowed on them inspiration to know the true doctrines of the gospel, and authority to declare them to the world. From this it followed, that the teachers who pretended to possess a greater illumination than the apostles, or greater authority, were impostors, ver. 3, 4.-And because these seducers taught their disciples, that morality was of no use in procuring salvation, Peter by his apostolical authority, commanded all who professed the gospel, to add to their faith courage, and to courage knowledge, &c. ver. 5.

7. Declaring, that these excellent dispositions would make them fruitful in good works, ver. 8.-That if they were deficient in these things they were blind, notwithstanding their pretentions to illumination, ver. 9.-Moreover, the practice of good works the apostle recommended to them from this important consideration, that thereby, and not otherwise, they would make their calling and election firm, ver. 10.-and have an entrance into the everlasting kingdom of the Saviour, richly or honourably ministered to them, ver. 11.-These things, he told them, he would not cease to call to their remembrance while he was in life, although they knew and believed them already, ver. 12, 13. Withal being sensible that he was soon to die, he proposed, by committing his instructions to writing in this epistle, to put it in their power, after his decease, to have them always in remembrance, as his dying words, ver. 14, 15.

In the mean time, to give the faithful the fullest assurance of the truth of all the things, which the apostles with one consent had delivered to the churches, and which in part, he was now going to write; more particularly, to give them a perfect assurance of Christ's being the Son of God, and of his coming to judge the world, which the infidels of that age loudly denied, St. Peter told them, that in making known the power and coming of Christ, he and his brethren apostles, had not published a fuble cunningly devised by Christ, and credulously received by them. They had the clearest evidence of their Master's power and coming, set before them visibly, in the honour and glory which he received from the Father, when he was transfigured in their presence, and a voice came to him from the excellent glory, saying, This is my Son, the beloved, with whom I am well pleased. This voice, said he, we Peter, and James, and John, heard distinctly, being with him, on that occasion, upon the holy mountain, ver. 16.—18.—He added, by these proofs of our Master's greatness, of which we were beholders, we and all mankind, have the ancient prophecies concerning the resurrection of the dead and the judgment of the world, as well as our Master's prophecies concerning these events, made more firm. Wherefore, it is your duty to give heed to the prophetic word thus confirmed, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day of judgment itself dawn, and Christ the morning star of that day, arise in your hearts, by his personal appearance from heaven, ver. 19. Knowing this first, as a circumstance necessary to

confirm you in the belief of the ancient prophecies, that no prophecy of scripture is of the prophet's own invention, ver. 20.—

Ver. 1.—1. Precious faith. Faith is called precious, because it is more essential to men's happiness, than all the things they esteem most precious.

2. Of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ. Τε Θε8 ήμων και Σωτής ο Ιησε Xg158. On what authority our translators have rendered this, of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, I know not. Perhaps, they pointed the Greek text thus, Θε, ήμων και σωτης @ Ιησε Χρισε. But the propriety of the language does not admit of that punctuation.—Some understand this passage as signifying, that Jesus Christ is both our God and our Saviour. But others are of opinion that the relative our, in the first clause, though omitted in the second, is according to the idiom of scripture to be understood as repeated. Yet, as this is disputed, I have not ventured to supply it in the translation of the second clause.-Mill says one of Stephen's MSS. instead of O ήμων και σωτης ( Ιησε, hath κυρια ήμων Ιησε : and that the Syriac, by which he means the second Syriac version, hath of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ : and the Arabic, God and our Saviour Jesus: in which it is followed by our translators. I have only to add, that in the following verse, God is distinguished from Jesus our Lord; and that clause hath not the article prefixed to it.

Ver. 2.1. The knowledge, &c. So επίγνωσις signifies, ver. 8. What an high value Peter put on the knowledge of God and of Christ may be known, not only from his account of its efficacy in producing good dispositions and

But that all the prophets spake their prophecies by the inspira

tion of the Holy Ghost. NEW TRANSLATION. CHAP. I. 1 Symeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, (see 1 Pet. v. i. note 2.) to them who have obtained like precious faith with us, through the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ.2

2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you, through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord.

COMMENTARY.

CHAP. I. 1 Symeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to all, both Jews and Gentiles, who have obtained like precious faith in the gospel with us believing Jews, through the righteousness of our God who, by the prophets, promised that blessing to all nations; and of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath called us thereto.

2 May good dispositions, and happiness temporal and eternal, be multiplied to you, through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, given you in the gospel.

3 Certainly God's divine power hath gifted to us, the apostles of his Son, all things necessary to bring mankind to a godly life, on account of our acknowledgment of his Son, who, because we acknowledged him, and accompanied him from the beginning, hath called us to the glorious office of apostles, and to courage in the exercise of that office.

inward peace in men's minds; but from his exhortation, ver. 5. to add to their faith knowledge, (see note 4. on that verse,) and from the advice with which he concludes this epistle, chap. iii. 18. Grow-in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour. This knowledge, our Lord likewise highly commended, John xvii. 3. This is life eternal, to know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.

Ver. 3.-1. All things which are necessary to life and godliness, that is, to a godly life. The things, gifted by God's divine power to the apostles, to enable them to bring mankind to a holy life, were, 1. A complete knowledge of the doctrines of the gospel.-2. A mouth to preach and defend these doctrines, which their adversaries should not be able to resist.-3. Wisdom to direct them to behave as teachers sent from God, Luke xxii. 15.—4. Miraculous powers, to confirm their doctrine and mission.

2. Hath called us to glory. The apostle, 1 Epist. v. 1. denotes the apostolic office by the word glory.

3. And courage. So I have translated the word agens, because courage