19. Wherefore, let them that suffer according to the will of God. That is, who endure the kind of sufferings that he by his providence shall appoint. Comp. chap. iii. 17; i v. 15, 16. "[[ Commit the keeping of their souls to him. Since there is so much danger; since there is no one else that can keep them; and since he is a being so faithful, let them commit all their interests to him. Comp. Psa. xxxvii. 5. The word souls here (\f/vxas) is equivalent to themselves. They were to leave every thing in his hand, faithfully performing every duty, and not being anxious for the result. 1 In well-doing. Constantly doing good, or seeking to perform every duty in a proper manner. Their business was always to do right; the result was to be left with God. A man who is engaged always in welldoing may safely commit all his interests to God. H As unto a faithful Jdreator. God may be trusted, or confided in, in all his attributes, and in all the relations which he sustains as Creator, Redeemer, Moral Governor, and Judge. In these, and in all other respects, we may come before him with confidence, and put unwavering trust in him. (a) As Creator; as one who has brought us, all creatures, and all things into being, we may be sure that he will be " faithful" to the design which he had in view. From that design he will never depart until it is fully accomplished. He abandons no purpose which he has formed, and we may be assured that he will steadily pursue it to the end. (b) As our Creator, we may come to him, and look to him for his protection and care. He made us. He had a design in our creation. He so endowed us that we might live forever, and so that we might honor and enjoy him. He did not create us that we might be miserable, nor does he wish that we should be. He formed us in such a way that, if we choose, we may be eternally happy. In that path in which he has appointed us to go, if we pursue it, we may be sure of his aid and protection. If we really aim to accomplish the purposes for which we were made, we may be certain that he will show himself to be a "faithful Creator;" one in whom we may always confide. And even though we have wandered from him, and have long forgotten why we were made, and have loved and served the creature more than the Creator, we may be sure if we will return to him that he will not forget the design for which he originally made us. (c) As our Creator, we may still confide in him. Redeemed by the blood of his Son, and renewed by his Spirit after the image of him who created us, we may still go to him as our Creator, and may pray that even yet the high and noble ends for which we were made may be accomplished in us. Doing this, we shall find him as true to that purpose as though we had never sinned.
This chapter embraces the following subjects: I. An exhortation to the elders of the churches to be faith-
THE elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder,
and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory a that shall be revealed:
ful to the flocks committed to their charge. Ver. 1-4. II. An exhortation to the younger members of the Church to evince all proper submission to those who were older; to occupy the station in which they were placed with a becoming spirit, casting all their care on God. Ver. 5-7. III. An exhortation to be sober and vigilant, in view of the dangers which beset them, and the arts and power of their great adversary, the devil, and especially to bear with patience the trials to which they were subjected, in common with their Christian brethren elsewhere. Ver. 8-11. IV. Salutations. Ver. 13-14.
1. The elders which are among you I exhort. The word elder means properly one who is old; but it is frequently used in the New Testament as applicable to the officers of the Church; probably because aged persons were at first commonly appointed to these offices. See Notes on Acts xi. 30; xiv. 23; xv. 2. There is evidently an allusion here to the fact that such persons were selected on account of their age, because in the following verses (4 seq.) the apostle addresses particularly the younger. It is worthy of remark that he here refers only to one class of ministers. He does not speak of three "orders" — of "bishops, priests, and deacons;" and the evidence from the passage here is quite strong that there were no such orders in the churches of Asia Minor to which this epistle was directed. It is also worthy of remark that the word "exhort" is here used. The language which Peter uses is not that of stern and arbitrary command; it is that of kind and mild Christian exhortation. Comp. Notes on Philemon 8, 9. If Who am also an elder. Gr., "a fellow-presbyter" (o-i//x7r/)£o-/3y- T£,oov). This word occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. It means that he was a co-presbyter with them; and he makes this one of the grounds of his exhortation to them. He does not put it on the ground of his apostolical authority; or urge it because he was the "vicegerent of Christ;" or because he was the head of the Church; or because he had any pre-eminence over others in any way. Would he have used this language^ he had been the " head of the Church " on earth? Would he, if he supposed that the distinction between apostles and other ministers were to be perpetuated? Would he, if he believed that there were to be distinct orders of clergy? The whole drift of this passage is adverse to such a supposition. 1 And a witness of the sufferings of Christ. Peter was indeed a witness of the sufferings of Christ when on his trial, and doubtless also when he was scourged and mocked, and when he was crucified. After his denial of his Lord, he wept bitterly, and evidently then followed him to the place where he was crucified, and, in company with others, observed with painful solicitude the last agonies of his Saviour. It is not, so far as I know, expressly said in the Gospels that Peter was present at the crucifixion of the Saviour; but it is said (Luke xxiii. 49) that "all his acquaintance, and the women that followed him from Galilee, stood alar off, beholding these things," and nothing is more probable than that Peter was among them. His wrarm attachment to Ins Master, and his recent bitter repentance for having denied him, would lead him to follow him to the place of his death; for, after the painful act of denying him, he wTould not be likely to expose himself to the charge of neglect, or of any want of love again. His own solemn declaration here makes it certain that he was present. He alludes to it now, evidently, because it qualified him to exhort those whom he addressed. It would be natural to regard with peculiar respect one who had actually seen the Saviour in his last agony,<md nothing would be more impressive than an exhortation falling from the lips of such a man. A son would be likely to listen with great respect to any suggestions which should be made by one who had seen his father or mother die. The impression which Peter had of that scene he would desire to have transferred to those whom he addressed, that by a lively view of, the sufferings of their Saviour they
2 Feed a the flock of God " which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but will-
might be excited to fidelity in his cause. 1 And a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed. Another reason to make his exhortation impressive and solemn. He felt that he was an heir of life. He was about to partake of the glories of heaven. Looking forward, as they did also, to the blessed world before him and them, he had a right to exhort them to the faithful performance of duty. Any one who is himself an heir of salvation may appropriately exhort his fellow-Christians to fidelity in the service of their common Lord.
2. Feed the flock of God. Discharge the duties of a shepherd toward the flock. On the word feed, see Notes on John xxi. 15. It is a word which Peter would be likely to remember, from the solemn manner in which the injunction to perform the duty was laid on him by the Saviour. John xxi. 15, 16, 17. The direction means, to take such an oversight of the Church as a shepherd is accustomed to take of his flock. See Notes on John x. 1 -16. If Which is among you. Marg., as much as in you is. The translation in the text is the more correct. It means the churches which were among them, or over which they were called to preside. H Taking the oversight thereof — kTricrKoirovvTi^. The fair translation of this word is, discharging the episcopal office; and the word implies all that is ever implied by the word bishop in the New Testament. This idea should have been expressed in the translation. The meaning is not merely to take the oversight — for that might be done in a subordinate sense by any one in office; but it is to take such an oversight as is implied in the episcopate, or in the word bisfiop. The words episcopate, episcopal, and episcopacy are merely the Greek word used here and its correlatives transferred to our language. The sense is that of overseeing; taking the oversight of; looking after, as of a flock; and the word has originally no reference to what is now spoken of as peculiarly the episcopal office. It is a word strictly applicable to any minister of religion, or any officer of a ingly; * not for filthy lucre,' but of a ready mind; 3 Neither as 'being lords over
Church. In the passage before us this duty was to be performed by those who, in ver. 1, are called presbyters or elders; and this is one of the numerous passages in the New Testament which prove that all that is properly implied in the performance of the episcopal functions pertained to those who were called presbyters or elders. If so, there was no higher grade of ministers to which the peculiar duties of the episcopate were to be intrusted; that is, there was no class of officers corresponding to those who are now called bishops. Comp. Notes on Acts xx. 28. If Not by constraint, but willingly. Not as if you felt that a heavy yoke was imposed on you, or a burden from which you would gladly be discharged. Go cheerfully to your duty as a work which you love," and act like a freeman in it, and not as a slave. Arduous as are the labors of the ministry, yet there is no work on earth in which a man can and should labor more cheerfully. If Not for filthy lucre. Shameful or dishonorable gain. See Notes on 1 Tim. iii. 3. Tf But of a ready mind. Cheerfully, promptly. We are to labor in this work not under the influence of the desire of gain, but from the promptings of love. There is all the difference conceivable between one who does a thing because he is paid for it, and one who does it from love— between, for example, the manner in which one attends on us when we are sick who loves us, and one who is merely hired to do it. Such a difference is there in the spirit with which one who is actuated by mercenary motives, and one whose heart is in the work, will engage in the ministry.
3. Neither as being lords. Marg., overruling. The word here used (ko- TaKvpuOw) is rendered exercise dominion over in Matt. xx. 25; exercise lordship over in Mark. x. 42; and overcame in Acts xix. 16. It does not elsewhere occur in the New Testament. It refers properly to that kind of jurisdiction which civil rulers or magistrates exercise. This is an exercise of authority, as contradistinguished from the influence of reason, persuasion, and example. The latter pertains
God's heritage, but being ensamplesato the flock. 4 And when the chief b Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown c of glory that fadeth not away.
5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder: yea, all d of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility; for God * resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
to the ministers of religion; the former is forbidden to them. Their dominion is not to be that of temporal lordship; it is to>be that of love and truth. This command would prohibit all assumption of temporal power by the ministers of religion, and all conferring of titles of nobility on those who are preachers of the Gospel. It needs scarcely to be said that it has been very little regarded in the Church. If Over God's heritage — twu Kkvpwv. Vulgate, in cleris — over the clergy. The Greek word here (kXtjpos — kleros) is that from which the word clergy has been derived; and some have interpreted it here as referring to the clergy, that is, to priests and deacons who are under the authority of a bishop. Such an interpretation, however, would hardly be adopted now. The word means, properly, (a) a lot, die, any thing used in determining chances; (b) a part or portion, such as is assigned by lot; (c) an office to which one is designated, or appointed by lot or otherwise; and hence (d) in general any possession or heritage. Acts xxvi. 18; Col. i. 12. The meaning here is, "not lording it over the possessions or the heritage of God." The reference is, undoubtedly, to the Church, as that which is peculiarly his property; his own in the world. Whitby and others suppose that it refers to the possessions or property of the Church; Doddridge explains it, " not assuming dominion over those who fall to your lot," supposing it to mean that they were not to domineer over the particular congregations committed by Providence to their care. But the other interpretation is most in accordance with the usual meaning of the word. 1f But being ensamples to the flock. Examples. See Notes on 1 Tim. iv. 12. Peter has drawn here, with great beauty, the appropriate character of ministers of the Gospel, and described the spirit with which they should be actuated in the discharge of thedutiesof their office. But how different it is from the character of many who have claimed to be ministers of religion; and especially how different from that corrupt communion which professes in a special manner to recognize Peter as the head, and the vicegerent of Christ. It is well remarked by Benson on this passage, that "the Church of Rome could not well have acted more directly contrary to this injunction of St. Peter's if she had studied to disobey it, and to form herself upon a rule that should be the reverse of this."
4. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear. The prince of the pastors — the Lord Jesus Christ. "Peter, in the passage above, ranks himself with the elders; here he ranks Christ himself with the pastors.'11 — Benson. See Notes on chap. ii. 25. Comp. Heb. xiii. 20. If Ye shall receive a crown of glory. A glorious crown or diadem. Comp. Notes on 2 Tim. iv. 8. 1 That fadeth not away. This is essentially the same word, though somewhat different in form, which occurs in chap. i. 4. See Notes on that verse. The word, oc-
5. Likewise, ye younger. All young persons of either sex. If Submit yourselves to the elder. That is, with the respect due to their age, and to the offices which they sustain. There is here, probably, a particular reference to those who sustained the office of elders or teachers, as the same word is used here which occurs in ver. 1. As there was an allusion in that verse, by the use of the word, to age, so there is in this verse to the fact that they sustained an office in the Church. The general duty, however, is here implied, as it is every where in the Bible, that all suitable respect is to be shown to the aged. Comp. Lev. xix. 32; 1 Tim. v. 1; Acts xxiii. 4; 2 Pet. ii. 9. If Yea, all of you be subject one to another. In your proper ranks and relations. You are not to attempt to lord it over one another, but are to treat each other with deference and respect. See Notes on Eph. v. 21;
6 Humble a yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
7 Casting b all your care upon him, for he careth for you.
Phil. ii. 3. H And be clothed with humility. The word here rendered be clothed {iyKou.p6ofx.ai) occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. It is derived from kohPos — a strip, string, or loop to fasten a garment; and then the word refers to a garment that was fastened with strings. The word eukou.- (iwua (enkornboma) refers particularly to a long white apron, or outer garment, that was commonly worn by slaves. See Rob., Lex.; Passow, Lex. There is, therefore, peculiar force in the use of this word here, as denoting a humble mind. They were to be willing to take any place, and to perform any office, however humble, in order to serve aud benefit others. They were not to assume a style of state and authority, as if they would lord it over others, or as if they were better than others; but they were to be willing to occupy any station, however humble,by which they mighthonor God. It is known that not a few of the early Christians actually sold themselves as slaves in order that they might preach the Gospel to those who were in bondage. The sense here is, they were to put on humility as a garment bound fast to them, as a servant bound fast to him the apron that was significant of his station. Comp. Col. iii. 13. It is not unusual in the Scriptures, as well as in other writings, to compare the virtues of kindness, charity, humility, etc., with articles of apparel; as that with which we are clothed, or in which we are seen by others. Comp. Isa. xi. 5; lix. 17. 1 For God resisteth the proud, etc: This passage is quoted from the Greek translation in Prov. iii. 34. See it explained in the Notes on James iv. 6, where it is also quoted.
6. Humble yourselves therefore. Be willing to take a low place— a place such as becomes you. Do not arrogate to yourselves what does not belong to you; do not evince pride and haughtiness in your manner; do not exalt yourselves above others. See Notes on Luke xiv. 7-11. Comp. Prov. xv. 33; xviii. 12; xxii.4; Mic. vi.8; Phil. ii. 8. *[[ Under the mighty hand of Ood. This refers probably to the calamities wlik-li lie had brought upon them, or was about to bring upon them; represented here, as often elsewhere, as the infliction of his hand— the baud being that by which we accomplish any thing. When that hand was upon them they were not to be lifted up with pride and with a spirit of rebellion, but were to take a lowly place before him, and submit to him with a calm mind, believing that he would exalt them in due time. There is no situation in which one will be more likely to feel humility than in scenes of affliction. 1 That he may exalt you in due time. When he shall see it to be a proper time. (1.) They might be assured that this would be done at some time. He would not always leave them in this low and depressed condition. He would take oft' his heavy hand, and raise them up from their state of sadness and suffering. (2.) This would be in due time; that is, in the proper time, in the best time, (a) It might be in the present life, (b) It would certainly be in the world to come. There the redeemed will be exalted to honors which will be more than an equivalent for all the persecution, poverty, and contempt which are suffered in this world. He may well afford to be in a low condition here who is to be exalted to a throne in heaven.
7. Casting all your care upon him. Comp. Psa. Iv. 22, from whence this passage was probably taken. " Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee; he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved." See also for a similar sentiment, Matt. vi. 25-30. The meaning is, that we are to commit our whole cause to him. If we suffer heavy trials; if we lose our friends, our health, or our property; if we have arduous and responsible duties to perform; if we feel that we have no strength, and are in danger of being crushed by what is laid upon us, we may go and cast all upon the Lord; that is, we may look to him for grace and strength, and may feel assured that he will enable us to bear all that is laid upon us. The relief 'in the case will be as real, and as full of consolation, as if he took the burden and carried it himself. He will enable us to bear with case what we supposed we could never have done; and the burden which he lays upon us will be light. Matt. xi. 30. Comp. Notes on Phil. iv. 6, 7. If For he carethfor you. See Notes on Matt. x. 29-31. He is not like the gods worshiped by many of the heathen, who were supposed to be so exalted and so distant that they did not interest themselves in human affairs, but he condescends to regard the wants of the meanest of his creatures. It is one of the glorious attributes of the true God that he can and ivill thus notice the wants of the mean as well as the mighty; and one of the richest of all consolations when we are afflicted, and are despised by the world, is the thought that we are not forgotten by our heavenly Father. He who remembers the falling sparrow, and who hears the young ravens when they cry, will not be unmindful of us. "Yet the Lord thinketh on me" was the consolation of David, when he felt that he was " poor and needy." Psa. xl. 17. "When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up. Psa. xxvii. 10. Comp. Isa. xlix. 15. What more can one wish than to be permitted to feel that the great and merciful Jehovah thinks on him? What are we, what have we done, that should make us worthy of such condescension? Remember, poor, despised, afflicted child of God, that you will never be forgotten. Friends on earth— the great, the gay, the noble, the rich — may forget you; God never will. Remember that you will never be entirely neglected. Father, mother, neighbor, friend; those whom you have loved, and those to whom you have done good, may neglect you, but God never will. Psa. xxvii. 10. You may become poor, and they may pass by you; you may lose your office, and flatterers may no longer throng your path; your beauty may fade, and your admirers may leave you; you may grow old, and be infirm, and appear to be useless in the world, and no one may seem to care for you; but it is not thus with the God whom you serve. When he loves, he always loves; if he regarded you with favor when you were rich, he will not forget you when you are poor; he who watched over you with a parent's care in the bloom of youth will not cast you off when you are "old and grayheaded." Psa. lxxi. 18. If we are what we should be, we shall never be without a friend as long as there is a God.
8. Be sober. While you cast your cares upon God, and have no anxiety on that score, let your solicitude be directed to another point. Do not doubt that he is able and willing to support and befriend you, but be watchful against your foes. See the word used here fully explained in the Notes on 1 Thess. v. 6. If Be vigilant. This word {ypr\yopi(u) is every where else in the New Testament rendered watch. See Matt. xxiv. 42, 43; xxv. 13; xxvi. 38, 40, 41. It means that we should exercise careful circumspection, as one does when he is in danger. In reference to the matter here referred to, it means that we are to be on our guard against the wiles and the power of the evil one. \ Your adversary the devil. Your enemy; he who is opposed to you. Satan opposes man in his best interests. He resists his efforts to do good; his purposes to return to God; his attempts to secure his own salvation. There is no more appropriate appellation that can be given to him than to say that he resists all our efforts to obey God and to secure the salvation of our own souls. H As a roaring lion. Comp. Rev. xii. 12. Sometimes Satan is represented as transforming himself into an angel of light (see Notes on 2 Cor. xi. 14); and sometimes, as here, as a roaring lion, denoting the efforts which he makes to alarm and overpower us. The lion here is not the crouching lion — the lion stealth - fully creeping toward his foe — but it is the raging monarch of the woods, who by his terrible roar would intimidate all so that they might become an easy prey. The particular thing referred to here, doubtless, is persecution, resembling in its terrors a roaring lion. When error comes in; when seductive arts abound; when the world allures and charms, the representation of the character of the foe is not of the roaring lion, but of the silent influence of an enemy that has clothed himself in the garb of an angel of light. 2 Cor. xi. 14. H Walkelh about, seeking ivhom he may devour. " Naturalists have observed that a lion roars when he is roused with hunger, for then he is most fierce, and most eagerly seeks his prey. See Judg. xiv. 5; Psa. xxii. 13; Jer. ii. 15;
your adversary the devil, as a a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour;
9 Whom resist, b steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in
Ezek. xxii. 25; Hos. xi. 10; Zeph. iii. 3; Zech. xi. 3." — Benson. {). Whom resist. See Notes on James ■"-feu?. You arc in no instance to yield to him, but are in all forms to stand up and oppose him. Feeble in yourselves, you are to confide in the arm of God. No matter in what form of terror he approaches, you are to fight manfully the fight of faith. Comp. Notes on Eph. vi. 10-17. If Steadfast in the faith. Confiding in God. You are to rely on him alone, and the means of successful resistance are to be found in the resources of faith. See Notes on Eph. vi. 16. ^Knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. Comp. for a similar sentiment, 1 Cor. x. 13. The meaning is, that you should be encouraged to endure your trials by the fact that your fellow- Christians suffer the same things. This consideration might furnish consolation to them in their trials in the following ways: (1.) They would feel that they were suffering only the common lot of Christians. There was no evidence that God was peculiarly angry with them, or that he had in a peculiar manner forsaken them. (2.) The fact that others were enabled to bear their trials should be an argument to prove to them that they would also be able. If they looked abroad, and saw that others were sustained, and were brought off triumphant, they might be assured that this would be the case with them. (3.) There would be the support derived from the fact that they were not alone in suffering. We can bear pain more easily if we feel that we are not alone — that it is the common lot — that we are in circumstances where we may have sympathy from others. This remark may be of great practical value to 11s in view of persecutions, trials, and death. The consideration suggested here by Peter, to sustain those whom he addressed in the trials of persecution, may be applied now to sustain and comfort its in every form of apprehended or real calamity. We are all liable to suffering. We are exposed to sickness,bercavement, death. We often feel as if we could not bear up under the sufferings that may be before us, and especially do we dread the great trial — death. It may furnish us some support and consolation to remember (1) That this is the common lot of men. There is nothing peculiar in our case. It proves nothing as to the question whether we are accepted of God, and are beloved by him, that we suffer, for those whom he has loved most have been often among the greatest sufferers. We often "think that our sufferings arc peculiar; that there have been none like them. Yet, if we knew all, we should find that thousands — and among them the most wise and pure and good— have endured sufferings of the same kind as ours, and perhaps far more intense in degree. (2.) Others have been conveyed triumphantly through their trials. We have reason to hope and to believe that we shall also, for (a) our trials are no greater than theirs have been; and (b) their natural strength was no greater than ours. Many of them were timid and shrinking and trembling, and felt that they had no strength, and that they should fail under the trial. (3.) The grace which sustained them can sustain us. The hand of God is not shortened that it can not save. His ear is not heavy that it can not hear. His power is as great and his grace is as fresh as it was when the first sufferer was supported by him; and that divine strength which supported David and Job in their afflictions, and the apostles and martyrs in theirs, is just as powerful as it was when they applied to God to be upheld in their sorrows. (4.) We are especially fearful of death —fearful that our faith will fail, and that we shall be left to die without support or consolation, Yet let us remember that death is the common lot of man. Let us remember icho have died— tender females; children; the timid, and the fearful; those, in immense multitudes, who had no more strength by nature than we have. Let us think of our own kindred who have died. A wife has died, and shall a husband be afraid to die? A child, and shall a father? A sister, and shall
10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Jesus Christ, after that ye have suffered a while, a make
a brother? It does much to take away the dread of death to remember that a mother has gone through the dark valley; that that gloomy vale has been trodden by delicate and timid and beloved sisters. Shall / be afraid to go where they have gone? Shall I apprehend that I shall find no grace that is able to sustain me where they have found it? Must the valley of the shadow of death be dark and gloomy to me, when they found it to be illuminated with the opening light of heaven? Above all, it takes away the fear of death when I remember that mjr Saviour has experienced all the horrors which can ever be in death; that he has slept in the tomb; that he has made it a hallowed resting-place. 10. But the God of all grace. The God who imparts all needful grace. It was proper in their anticipated trials to direct them to. God, and to breathe forth in their behalf an earnest and affectionate prayer that they might be supported. A prayer of this kind by an apostle would also be to them a sort of pledge or assurance that the needed grace would be granted them. Tf Who hath called us unto his eternal glory. And wrho means, therefore, that we shall be saved. As he has called us to his glory, we need not apprehend that he will leave or forsake us. On the meaning of the word called, see Notes on Eph. iv. 1. If After that ye have suffered a while. After you have suffered as long as he shall appoint. The Greek is, "having suffered a little,'''' and may refer either to time or degree. In both respects the declaration concerning afflictions is true. They are short, compared with eternity; they are tight, compared with the exceeding and eternal weight of glory. See Notes on 2 Cor. iv. 16-18. T[ Make you perfect. By means of your trials. The tendency of affliction is to make us perfect. 1 Stablish. The Greek word means to set fast; to fix firmly; to render immovable. Luke xvi. 26; ix. 51; xxii. 32;
Rom. i. 11; xvi. 25; 1 Thess. iii. 2, 13, etal. If Strengthen. Give you strength to bear all this. U Settle you. Literally, found you, or establish you on a firm foundation — ^EfxeXiwau. The allusion is to a house which is so firmly fixed on a foundation that it will not be moved by winds or floods. Comp. Notes on Matt. vii. 24 seq.
11. To him be glory, etc. See Notes on chap. iv. 11.
13. By Sylvanus. Or Silas. See Notes on 2 Cor. i. 19. Comp. 1 Thess. i. 1. He was the intimate friend and companion of Paul, and had labored much with him in the regions where the churches were situated to which this epistle was addressed. In what manner he became acquainted with Peter, or why he was now with him in Babylon, is unknown. H A faithful brother unto yon, as I suppose. The expression "as I suppose" (o>9 \oyi%oixai) does not imply that there was an}7 doubt on the mind of the apostle, but indicates rather a firm persuasion that what he said was true. Thus Rom. viii. 18: " For I reckon (Xoyi^o- /xai) that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared," etc. That is, I am fully persuaded of it; I have no doubt of it. Peter evidently had no doubt on this point, but he probably could not speak from any personal knowledge. He had not been with them when Silas was, and perhaps not at all, for they may have been "strangers" to him personally — for the word " strangers," in chap, i. 1, may imply that he had no personal acquaintance with them. Silas, however, had been much with them (comp. Acts xv. 17-31), and Peter had no doubt that he had shown himself to be "a faithful brother" to them. An epistle conveyed by his hands could not but be welcome. It should be observed, however, that the expression"! suppose" has been differently interpreted by some. Wetstein understands it as meaning, "not that he supposed Sylvanus to be a
have written briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye ° stand.
13 The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, salut-
14 Greet b ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace eoe with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Arnen.
faithful brother, for who, says he, could doubt that? but that he had written as he understood matters, having carefully considered the subject, and as he regarded things to be true," and he refers for illustration to Rom. viii. 18; Phil. iv. 8; Heb. xi. 9. Grotius understands it as meaning, "if I remember right;" and supposes that the idea is, that he shows his affection for them by saying that this was not the first time that he had written to them, but that he had written before briefly, and sent the letter, as well as he could remember, by Sylvanus. But there is no evidence that he had written to them before, and the common interpretation is undoubtedly to be preferred. H Exhorting. No small part of the Epistle is taken up with exhortations. If And testifying. Bearing witness. The main design of-the office of the apostles was to bear witness to the truth (see Notes on 1 Cor. ix. 1), and Peter in this Epistle discharged that part of the functions of his office toward the scattered Christians of Asia Minor. *[f That this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand. That the religion in which you stand, or which you now hold, is that which is identified with the grace or favor of God. Christianity, not Judaism or Paganism, was the true religion. To show this, and bear continual witness to it, was the leading design of the apostolic office.
13. The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you. It will be seen at once that much of this is supplied by our translators; the words "church that is" not being in the original. The Greek is 17 iv (3a(ivXwvi auvsKXEKTi), and might refer to a church, or to a female. Wall, Mill, and some others, suppose that the reference is to a Christian woman, perhaps the wife of Peter himself. Comp. 2 John i. But the Arabic, Syriac, and Vulgate, as well as the En- flish versions, supply the vrordchurch. his interpretation seems to be confirmed by the word rendered elected together with — arvvenXEKTi). This word would be properly used in reference to one individual if writing to another individual, but would hardly be appropriate as applied to an individual addressing a church. It could not readily be supposed, moreover, that any one female in Babylon could have such a prominence, or be so well known, that nothing more would be necessary to designate her than mefcsly to say "the elect female." On the word Babylon here, and the place denoted by it, see the Introd., § 2. If And so doth Marcus my son. Probably John Mark. See Notes on Acts xii. 12; xv. 37. Why he was now with Peter is unknown. If this were the Mark referred to, then the word son is a title of affection, and is used by Peter with reference to his own superior age. It is possible, however, that some other Mark may be referred to, in whose conversion Peter had been instrumental. 14. Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. A kiss of love; a common method of affectionate salutation in the times of the apostles. See Notes on Rom. xvi. 16. U Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. That are true Christians. See Notes on Eph. vi. 23; Phil. iv. 7.
§ 1. The Genuineness and Authenticity of the Epistle.
It is well known that at an early period of the Christian history there were doubts respecting the canonical authority of the Second Epistle of Peter. The sole ground of the doubt was whether Peter were the author of it. Eusebius, in the chapter of his ecclesiastical history where he speaks of the New Testament in general, reckons it among the avriXfyo/ieva (antileyomenct), or those books which were not universally admitted to be genuine; literally, "those which were spoken against. " Bk. iii., chap. xxv. This does not imply that even he, however, disbelieved its genuineness, but merely that it was numbered among those about which there had not been always entire certainty. Jerome says: "Peter wrote two Epistles, called Catholic; the second of which is denied by many to be his, because of the difference of style from the former." Origen, before him, had also said: " Peter, on whom the Church is built, has left one Epistle [universally] acknowledged. Let it be granted that he also wrote a second. Eor it is doubted of." See Lardner, vol. vi., p. 255, ed. London, 1829. Both the Epistles of Peter, however, were received as genuine in the fourth and following centuries by all Christians, except the Syrians. The First Epistle was never doubted to have been the production of Peter. In regard to the Second, as remarked above, it was doubted by some. The principal ground of the doubt, if not the entire ground, was the difference of style between the two, especially in the second chapter, and the fact that the old Syriac translator, though he admitted the Epistle of James, which was also reckoned among the "doubtful" epistles, did not translate the Second Epistle of Peter. That version was made, probably, at the close of the first century, or in the second; and it is said that it is to be presumed that if this Epistle had been then in existence, and had been regarded as genuine, it would also have been translated by him.
It is of importance, therefore, to state briefly the evidence of the genuineness and authenticity of this Epistle. In doing this, it is proper to regard the First Epistle as undoubtedly genuine and canonical, for that was never called in question. That being admitted, the genuineness of this Epistle may be argued on the following grounds. (1.) It does not appear to have been rejected by any one. It was merely doubted whether it were genuine. How far even this doubt extended is not mentioned. It is referred to only by Jerome, Origen, and Eusebius, though there is not the least evidence that even they had any doubt of its genuineness. They merely state that there were some persons who had doubts on the subject, from the difference of style between this and the former Epistle. This fact, indeed, as Wall has remarked (Crit. Notes on the N. 21, p. 358, 359), will serve at least to show the care which was evinced in admitting books to be canonical, proving that they were not received without the utmost caution, and that if the slightest doubt existed in the case of any one, it was honestly expressed. (2.) Even all doubt on the subject disappeared as early as the third and fourth centuries, and the Epistle was received as being unquestionably the production of Peter. The effect of the examination in the case was to remove all suspicion, and it has never since been doubted that the Epistle was written by Peter; at least no doubt has arisen, except from the fact stated by Jerome and Origen that it was not universally admitted to be genuine. (3.) This Epistle purports to have been written by the author of the former, and has all the internal marks of genuineness which could exist, (a) It bears the inscription of the name of the same apostle: "Simon Peter, a servant, and an apostle of Jesus Christ." Chap. i. 1. (7>) There is an allusion in chap. i. 14 which Peter only could appropriately make, and which an impostor or forger of an epistle would hardly have thought of introducing: "Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath showed me." Here there is an evident reference to the Saviour's prediction of the death of Peter, recorded in John xxi. 18, 19. It is conceivable, indeed, that an adroit forger of an epistle might have introduced such a circumstance; but the supposition that it is genuine is much more natural. It is such an allusion as Peter would naturally make; it would have required much skill and tact in another to have introduced it so as not to be easily detected, even if it had occurred to him to personate Peter at all. Would not a forger of an epistle have been likely to mention what kind of death was predicted by the Saviour, and not to have made a mere allusion? (c) In chap. i. 16-18 there is another allusion of a similar kind. The writer claims to have been one of the "eye-witnesses of the majesty" of the Lord Jesus when he was transfigured in the holy mount. It was natural for Peter to refer to this, for he was with him; and he has mentioned it just as one would be likely to do who had actually been with him, and who was writing from personal recollection. A forger of the Epistle would have been likely to be more particular, and would have described the scene more minutely, and the place where it occurred, and would have dwelt more on the nature of the evidence furnished there of the divine mission of the Saviour, (d) In chap. iii. 1 it is stated that this is a second Epistle written to the same persons as a former one had been; and that the writer aimed at substantially the same object in both. Here the plain reference is to the First Epistle of Peter, which has always been acknowledged to be genuine. It may be said that one who forged the Epistle might have made this allusion. This is true, but it may be doubtful whether he would do it. It would have increased the liability to detection, for it would not be easy to imitate the manner and to carry out the views of the apostle. (4.) To these considerations it may be added that there is clear internal evidence of another kind to show that it was written by Peter. This evidence, too long to be introduced here, may be seen in Michaelis's Introduction, iv., 349-356. The sum of this internal evidence is, that it would not have been practicable for a writer of the first or second century to have imitated Peter so as to have escaped detection, and that, in general, it is not difficult to detect the books that were forged in imitation of, and in the name of, the apostles.
As to the alleged objection in regard to the difference of -the style in the second chapter, see Michaelis, iv., 352-356. Why the Epistle was not inserted in the old Syriac version is not known. It is probable that" the author of that version was exceedingly cautious, and did not admit any books about which he had any doubt. The fact that this was doubted by some, anil that these doubts were not removed from his mind, as in the case of the Epistle of James, was a good reason for not inserting it, though it by no means proves that it was not genuine. It came, however, to be acknowledged afterward by the Syrians as genuine and canonical. Ephrem the Syrian, a writer of the fourth century, not only quotes several passages of it, but expressly ascribes it to Peter. Thus, in the second volume of his Greek works, p. 387, he says: "The blessed Peter, also, the Coryphaeus of the apostles, cries, concerning that day, saying, The day of the Lord cometh as a thief in the night, in which the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat." This is literally quoted (in the Greek) from 2 Pet. iii. 12. See Michaelis, as above, p. 348. And Assemani, in his catalogue of the Vatican Manuscripts, gives an account of a Syriac book of lessons to be read, in which is one taken from this Epistle. See Michaelis. These considerations remove all reasonable doubt as to the propriety of admiting this Epistle into the canon as the production of Peter.
§ 2. The Time when the Epistle was Written.
In regard to the ft'/we'when this Epistle was written, nothing can be determined with absolute certainty. All that appears on that subject from the Epistle itself is, that at the time of writing it the author was expecting soon to die. Chap. i. 4: "Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath showed me." What evidence he had that this was soon to occur he has not informed us, nor is it known even what he meant precisely by the word shortly. The Greek word (jaxivi)) is indeed one that would imply that the event was expected to be not far off; but a man would not unnaturally use it Avho felt that he was growing old, even though he should in fact live several years afterwrard. The Saviour (John xxi. 18) did not state to Peter ivhen his death would occur, except that it would be when he was " old;" and the probability is that the fact that he was growing old was the only intimation that he had that he was soon to die. It has been generally supposed that he died at Rome, A.D. 66, in the 1 2th year of the reign of Nero. See Calmet, art. Peter. Comp. Notes on John" xxi. 18, 19. Lardner supposes, from chap. i. 13-15 of this Epistle, that this was written not long after the first, as he then says that he " would not be negligent to put them in remembrance of these things." The two Epistles he supposes were written in the year 63 or 64, or at the latest 65. Michaelis supposes it was in the year 64; Calmet that it was in the year of Christ 68, or, according to the vulgar era, A.D. 65. Probably the year 64 or 65 would not be far from the real date of this Epistle. If so, it was, according to Calmet, one year only before the martyrdom of Peter (A.D. 66), and six years before the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus (A.D. 71).
§ 3. The Persons to whom this Epistle was Written, and the Place where.
On this subject there is no room for doubt. In chap. iii. 1 the writer says, "This Second Epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance." This Epistle was written, therefore, to the same persons as the former. On the question to whom that was addressed, see the Introd. to that Epistle, § 1. The two Epistles were addressed to persons who resided in Asia Minor, and in both they are* regarded as in the midst of trials. No certain intimation of the place where it was written is given in the Epistle itself. It is probable that it was at the same place as the former, as if it had not been we may presume that there would have been some reference to the fact that he had changed his residence, or some local allusion which would have enabled us to determine the fact. If he wrote this Epistle from Babylon, as he did the former one (see Introd. to that Epistle, § 2), it is not known why he was so soon removed to Rome, and became a martyr there. Indeed, every thing respecting the last days of this apostle is involved in great uncertainty. See the article Peter in Calmet's Dictionary. See these questions examined also in Bacon's Lives of the Apostles, p. 258-279.
§ 4. The Occasion on which the Epistle was Written.
The First Epistle was written in view of the trials which those to whom it was addressed were then enduring, and the persecutions which they had reason to anticipate. Chap. i. 6, 7; iv. 12-19; v. 8-11. The main object of that Epistle was to comfort them in their trials, and to encourage them to bear them with a Christian spirit, imitating the example of the Lord Jesus. This Epistle appears to have been written, not so much in view of persecutions and bodily sufferings, real or prospective, as in view of the fact that there were teachers of error among them, the tendency of whose doctrine, was to turn them away from the Gospel. To those teachers of error, and to the dangers to which they were exposed on that account, there is no allusion in the First Epistle, and it would seem to be not improbable that Peter had been informed that there were such teachers among them after he had written and dispatched that. Or, if he were not thus informed of it, it seems to have occurred to him that this was a point of great importance which had not been noticed in the former Epistle, and that an effort should be made by apostolic influence and authority to arrest the progress of error, to counteract the influence of the false teachers, and to confirm the Christians of Asia Minor in the belief of the truth. A large part of the Epistle, therefore, is occupied in characterizing the teachers of error; in showing that they would certainly be destroyed; and in stating the true doctrine in opposition to what they held. It is evident that Peter supposed that the danger to which Christians in Asia Minor were exposed from these errors was not less than that to which they were exposed from persecution, and that it was of as much importance to guard them from those errors as it was to sustain them in their trials.
The characteristics of the teachers referred to in this Epistle, and the doctrines which they taught, were the following:
1. One of the prominent errors was a denial of the Lord that bought them. Chap. ii. 1. On the nature of this error, see Notes on that verse.
2. They gave indulgence to carnal appetites, and were sensual, corrupt, beastly, lewd. Vs. 10, 12, 13, 14, 19. Comp. Jude 4, 8, 16. It is remarkable that so many professed reformers have been men who have been sensual and lewd men, and who have taken advantage of their character as professed religious teachers, and as reformers, to corrupt and betray others. Such reformers often begin with pure intentions, but a constant familiarity with a certain class of vices tends to corrupt the mind, and to awaken in the soul passions which would otherwise have slept; and they fall into the same vices which they attempt to reform. It should be said, however, that many professed reformers are corrupt at heart, and only make use of their pretended zeal in the cause of reformation to give them the opportunity to indulge their base propensities.
3. They were disorderly in their views, and "radical" in their movements. The tendency of their doctrines was to unsettle the foundations of order and government; to take away all restraint from the indulgence of carnal propensities, and to break up the very foundations of good order in society. Chap. ii. 10-12. They "walked after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness;" they ' ' despised government " or authority; they were ' ' presumptuous and self-.wilied;" they "were not afraid to speak evil of dignities;" they were like "natural brute beasts;" they "spoke evil of the subjects which they did not understand." It is by no means an uncommon thing for professed reformers to become anti-government men, or to suppose that all the restraints of law stand in their way, and that they must be removed in order to success. They fix the mind on one thing to be accomplished. That thing magnifies itself until it fills all the field of vision. Every thing which seems to oppose their efforts, or to uphold the evil which they seek to remove, they regard as an evil itself; and as the laws and the government of a country often seem to sustain the evil, they become opposed to the government itself, and denounce it as an evil. Instead of endeavoring*to enlighten the public mind, and to modify the laws by a course of patient effort, they array themselves against them, and seek to overturn them. For the same reason, also, they suppose that the Church upholds the evil, and become the deadly foe of all Church organizations.
4. They were seductive and artful, and adopted a course of teaching that was fitted to beguile the weak, and especially to produce licentiousness of living. Chap. ii. 14. They were characterized by "adulterous" desires; and they practiced their arts particularly on the " unstable," those who were easily led away by any new and plausible doctrine that went to unsettle the foundations of rigid morality.
5. They adopted a pompous mode of teaching, distinguished for sound rather than for sense, and proclaimed themselves to be the special friends of liberal views and of a liberal Christianity. Chap.ii. 17, 18, 19. They were like " wells without water;" they were " clouds that were carried about with a tempest;" they spake " great swelling words of vanity," and they promised "liberty" to those who would embrace their views, or freedom from the restraints of bigotry and of a narrow and gloomy religion. This appeal is usually made by the advocates of error.
6. They had been professed Christians, and had formerly embraced the more strict views on morals and religion which were held by Christians in general. Chap. ii. 20-22. From this, however, they had departed, and had fallen into practices quite as abominable as those of which they had been guilty before their pretended conversion.
7. They denied the doctrines which the apostles had stated respecting the end of the world. The argument on which they based this denial was the fact that all things continued unchanged as they had been from the beginning, and that it might be inferred from that that the world would be stable. Chap. iii. 3, 4. They saw no change in the laws of nature; they saw no indications that the world was drawing to a close; and they inferred that laws so stable and settled as those were which existed in nature would continue to operate, and that the changes predicted by the apostles were impossible.
A large part of the Epistle is occupied in meeting these errors, and in so portraying the characters of their advocates as to show what degree of reliance was to be placed on their preaching. For a particular view of the manner in which these errors are met, see the analysis to chaps, ii. and iii.
This Epistle is characterized by the same earnest and tender manner as the first, and by a peculiarly "solemn grandeur of imagery and diction." The apostle in the last two chapters had to meet great and dangerous errors, and the style of rebuke was appropriate to the occasion. He felt that he himself was soon to die, and, in the prospect of death, his own mind was peculiarly impressed with the solemnity and importance of coming events. He believed that the errors which were broached tended to sap the very foundations of the Christian faith and of good morals, and his whole soul is roused to meet and counteract them. The occasion required that he should state in a solemn manner what was the truth in regard to the second advent of the Lord Jesus; what great changes were to occur; what the Christian might look for hereafter; and his soul kindles with the sublime theme, and he describes in glowing imagery and in impassioned language the end of all things, and exhorts them to live as became those who were looking forward to so important events. The practical effect of the whole Epistle is to make the mind intensely solemn, and to put it into a position of waiting for the coming of the Lord. On the similarity between this Epistle (chap, ii.) and the Epistle of Jude, see Introd. to Jude.
SIMON ■ Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like a
jDrecious faith with us through the righteousness of a God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: 2 Grace and peace* be multiplied
This chapter comprises the following subjects:
II. A statement that all the mercies which they enjoyed pertaining to life and godliness had been conferred by the power of God, and that he had given them exceeding great and precious promises. Vs. 3j 4. It was mainly with reference to these u promises" that the Epistle was written, for they had been assailed by the advocates of error (chap, ii., iii.), and it was important that Christians should see that they had the promise of a future life. Comp. chap. iii. 5-14.
III. An exhortation to abound in Christian virtues; to go on making constant attainments in knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity. Ver.
IV. An exhortation to make their calling and election sure, that so an entrance might be ministered unto them abundantly into the kingdom of the Redeemer. Vs. 10, 11.
V. The apostle says that he would endeavor to keep these things before their minds. Ver. 12-15. lie knew well that thejt were then established in the truth (ver. 12), but he evidently felt that they were in danger ot being shaken in the faith by the seductive influence of error, and he says, therefore (ver. 13) that it was proper, as long as he remained on earth, to endeavor to excite in their minds a lively remembrance of the truths which they had believed; that the opportunity for his doing this must soon cease, as the period was approaching when he must be removed to eternity, in accordance with the prediction of the Saviour (ver. 14), but that he would make so permanent a record of his views on these important subjects that they might always have them in remembrance. Ver. 15.
VI. A solemn statement that the doctrines which had been taught them, and which they had embraced, were not cunningly devised fables, but were true. Ver. 16-21. In support of this the apostle appeals to the following things:
(a) The testimony to the fact that Jesus was the Son of God, which Peter had himself heard given on the mount of transfiguration. Vs. 17, 18.
(&) Prophecy. These truths, on which he expected them to rely, had' been the subject of distinct prediction, and they should be held, whatever were the plausible arguments of the false teachers. Vs. 19, 20.
The general object, therefore, of this chapter is to affirm the truth of the great facts of religion o*h which their hopes were based, and thus to prepare the way to combat the errors by which these truths were assailed. He first assures them that the doctrines which they held were true, and then, in chaps, ii. and iii., meets the errors by which they were assailed.
1. Simon Peter. Marg., Symeon. The name is written either Simon or Simeon — Xi/jiuw or Sy/xtwi/. Either word properly means hearing, and perhaps, like other names, was at first significant. The First Epistlef chap. i. 1) begins simply, " Peter, an apostle," etc. The name Simon, however, was his proper name, Peter, or Cephas, having been added to it by the Saviour. John i. 42. Comp. Matt. xvi. 18. If A servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ. In the First Epistle the word apostle only is used. Paul, however, uses the word servant as applicable to himself
unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all a things
that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us l to glory and virtue: b in Rom. i. 1, and to himself and Timothy in the commencement of the Epistle to the Philippians. Chap. i. 1. U To them that have obtained like precious faith with us. With us who are of Jewish origin. This Epistle was evidently written to the same persons as the former (Introd., § 3), and that was intended to embrace many who were of Gentile origin. See Notes on 1 Pet. i. 1. The apostle addresses them all now, whatever was their origin, as heirs of the common faith, and as in all respects brethren. 1 Through the righteousness of God. Through the method of justification which God has adopted. See this fully explained in the Notes on Rom. i. 17. 1[ God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. Marg., our God and Saviour. The Greek will undoubtedly bear the construction given in the margin, and if this be the true rendering, it furnishes an argument for the divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ. Bp. Middleton, Slade, Valpy, Bloomfield, and others, contend that this is the true and proper rendering. It is doubted, however, by Wetstein, Grotius, and others. Erasmus supposes that it may be taken in either sense. The construction, though certainly not a violation of the laws of the Gfreek language, is not so free from all doubt as to make it proper to use the passage as a proof-text in an argument for the divinity of the Saviour. It is easier to prove the doctrine from other texts that are plain, than to show that this must be the meaning here.
2. Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord. That is, grace and peace abound to us, or may be expected to be conferred on us abundantly, if we have a true knowledge of God and of the Saviour. Such a knowledge constitutes true religion; for in that we find grace— the grace that pardons and sanctifies; and peace — peace of conscience, reconciliation with God, and calmness in the trials of life. See Notes on John xvii. 3.
3. According as his divine power hath given unto us. All the effects of the
Gospel on the human heart are in the Scriptures traced to the power of God. See Notes on Rom. i. 16. There are no moral means which have ever been used that have such power as the Gospel; none through which God has done so much in changing the character and affecting the destiny of man. T[ All things that pertain unto life and godliness. The reference here in the word life is undoubtedly to the life of religion; the life of the soul imparted by the Gospel. The word godliness is synonymous with piety. The phrase "according as " (lis) seems to be connected with the sentence in ver. 5. ' Forasmuch as he has conferred on us these privileges andpromises connected with life and godliness, we are bound, iu order to obtain all that is implied in these things, to give all diligence to add to our faith,kuowledge," etc. H Through the knowledge of him. By a proper acquaintance with him, or by the right kind of knowledge of him. See Notes on John xvii. 3. T[ That hath called us to glory and virtue. Marg., by. Gr., u through glory " etc. Doddridge supposes that it means that he has done this" by the strengthening virtue and energy of his Spirit." Rosenmuller renders it, "by glorious benignity." Dr. Robinson (Lex.) renders it, "through a glorious display of his efficiency. ' The objection which any one feels to this rendering arises solely from the word virtue, from the ■ fact that we are not accustomed to apply that word to God. But the original word (dpETi'i) is not as limited in its signification as the English word is, but is rather a word#which denotes a good quality or excellence of any kind. In the ancient classics it is used to denote manliness, vigor, courage, valor, fortitude; and the word would rather denote energy or power of some kind, than what we commonly understand by virtue, and would be, therefore, properly applied to the energy or efficiency which God has displayed in the work of our salvation. Indeed, when applied to moral excellence at all, as it is in ver. 5 of this chapter, and often elsewhere, it is per-
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious prom-
ises; a that by these ye might be partakers b of the divine nature, haps with a reference to the energy, boldness, vigor, or courage which is evinced in overcoming our evil propensities, and resisting allurements and temptations. According to this interpretation, the passage teaches that it is by a glorious divine efficiency that we are called into the kingdom
4. Whereby (A! &»). "Through which" — in the plural number, referring either to the glory and virtue in the previous verse, and meaning that it was by that glorious divine efficiency that these promises were given; or to all the things mentioned in the previous verse, meaning that it was through those arrangements, and in order to their completion, that these great and glorious promises Were made. The promises given are in connection with the plan of securing * ' life and godliness," and are a part of the gracious arrangements for that object. T[ Exceeding great and precious promises. A promise is an assurance on the part of another of some good for which we are dependent on him. It implies (1) that the thing is in his power; (2) that he may bestow it or not as he pleases; (3) that we can not infer from any process of reasoning that it is his purpose to bestow it on us; and (4) that it is a favor which we can obtain only from him, and not by any independent effort of our own. The promises here referred to are those which pertain to salvation. Peter had in his eye probably all that then had been revealed which contemplated the salvation of the people of God. They are called " exceeding great and precious," because of their value in supporting and comforting the soul, and of the honor and felicity which they unfold to us. The promises referred to are doubtless those which arc made in connection with the plan of salvation revealed in the Gospel, for there are no other promises made to man. They refer to the pardon of sin; to strength, comfort, and support in trial; to a glorious resurrection; and to a happy immortality. If we look at the greatness and glory of these objects, we shall see that the promises are in fact exceedingly precious; or if we look at their influence K in supporting and elevating the soul, we shall have as distinct a view of their value. The promise goes beyond our reasoning powers; enters a held which we could not otherwise penetrate — the distant future; and relates to what we could not otherwise obtain. All that we need in trial is the simple promise of God that he will sustain us; all that we need in the hour of death is the assurance of God that we shall be happy forever. What would this world be without a promise? How impossible to penetrate the future! How dark that which is to come would be! How bereft we should be of consolation! The past has gone, and its departed joys and hopes can never be recalled to cheer us again; the present may be an hour of pain and sadness and disappointment and gloom, with perhaps not a ray of comfort; the future only opens fields of happiness to our vision, and every thing there depends on the will of God^and all that we can know of it is from his promises. Cut off from these, we have no way either of obtaining the blessings which we desire, or of ascertaining that they can be ours. For the promises of God, therefore, we should be in the highest degree grateful, and in the trials of life we should cling to them with unwavering confidence as the only things which can be an anchor to the soul. IT That by these. Gr., " through these. ' ' That is, these constitute the basis of your hopes of becoming partakers of the divine nature. Comp. Notes on 2 Cor. vii. 1. U Partakers of the divine nature. This is a very important and a difficult phrase. An expression somewhat similar occurs in Heb. xii. 10: u That we might be partakers of his holiness." See Notes on that verse. In regard to the language here used, it may be observed, (1.) That it is directly contrary to all the notions of Pantheism — or the belief that all things are now God, or a part of God — for it is said that the object of the promise is that we umay become partakers of the divine nature," not that we are now. (2.) It can not be taken in so literal a sense as to mean that we can ever partake of the divine e.ssence, or that we shall be absorbed into the divine nature so as to lose our individuality. This idea is held by the Buddhists, and the perfection of being is supposed by them to consist in such absorption, or in losing their own individuality, and their ideas of happiness are graduated bjr the approximation which may be made to that state. But this can not be the meaning here, because (a) it is in the nature of the case impossible. There must be forever an essential difference between a created and an uncreated mind, (b) This would argue that the divine mind is not perfect. If this absorption were necessary to the completeness of the character and happiness of the divine being, then he was imperfect before; if before perfect, he would not be after the absorption of an infinite number of finite and imperfect minds, (c) In all the representations of heaven in the Bible the idea of individuality is one that is prominent. Individuals are represented every where as worshipers in heaven, and there is no intimation that the separate existence of the redeemed is to be absorbed and lost in the essence of the Deity. Whatever is to be the condition of man hereafter, he is to have a separate and individual existence,andthem*m&er of intelligent beings is never to be diminished,either by annihilation, or by their being united to any other spirit so that they shall become one. The reference, then, in this place, must be to the moral nature of God, and the meaning is, that they who are renewed become participants of the same moral nature; that is, of the same views, feelings, thoughts, purposes, principles of action. Their nature as they are born is sinful, and prone to evil (Eph. ii. 3); their nature as they are born again becomes like that of God. They are made like God; and this resemblance will increase more and more forever, until, in a much higher sense than can be true in this world, they may be said to have become ' ' partakers of the divine nature. ' ' Let us remark, then, (a) That man only, of all the dwellers on the earth, is capable of rising to this condition. The nature of all the other orders of creatures here below is incapable of any such transformation that it can be said that they become "partakers of the divine nature. " (6) It is impossible now to estimate the degree of approximation to which man may yet rise toward God, or the exalted sense in which the term may yet be applicable to him; but the prospect before the bclieverinthisrespectismostglorious. Two or three circumstances may be referred to here as mere hints of what we may yet be: (1.) Let any one reflect on the amazing advances made by himself since the period of infancy. But a few, a very few years ago, he knew nothing. He was in his cradle, a poor, helpiess infant. He knew not the use of eyes or ears or hands or feet. He knew not the name or use of any thing, not even the name of father or mother. He could neither walk nor talk nor creep. He knew not even that a candle would burn him if he put his finger there. He knew not how to grasp or hold a rattle, or what was its sound, or whence that sound, or any other sound, came. Let him think what he is at twenty, or forty, in comparison with this; and then, if his improvement in every similar number of years hereafter shoidd be equal to this, who can tell the height to which he will rise? (2.) We are here limited in our powers of becoming acquainted with God and his works. We arc made acquainted with him through his works — by means of the senses. But by the appointment of this method of becoming acquainted with the external world, the design seems to have been to accomplish a double work quite contradictory— one to help us, and the other to hinder us. One is, to give us the means of communicating with the external world — by the sight, the hearing, the smell, the touch, the taste; the other is, to shut us out from the external world except by these. The body is a casement, an inclosure, a prison in which the soul is incarcerated, from which we can look out on the universe onl}7 through these openings. But suppose, as may be the case in a future state, there shall be no such inclosure, and that the whole soul may look directly on the works of God — on spiritual existences, on God himself— who then can calculate the height to which mankind may attain in becoming " partakers of the divine nature?" (3.) We shall have an eternity before us to grow in knowledge, in holiness, and in conformity to God. Here we attempt to climb the hill of knowledge, and having gone a few steps — while the top is still lost in the clouds— we lie down and die. We look at a few things; we be-
having escaped" the corruption that is in the world through lust.
5 And besides this, giving all
diligence, add to your faith -virtue;6 and to virtue knowledge;" 6 And to knowledge temper- come acquainted with a few elementary principles; we make a little progress in virtue, and then all our studies and efforts are suspended, and " we fly away." In the future world we shall have an eternity before us to make progress in knowledge and virtue and holiness, uninterrupted; and who can tell in what exalted sense it may yet be true that we shall be "partakers of the divine nature," or what attainments we may yet make? ^Having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. The world is full of corruption. It is the design of the Christian plan of redemption to deliver us from that, and to make us holy; and the means by which we are to be made like God is by rescuing us from its dominion.
5. And besides this (Kal auTo touto). Something here is necessary to be understood in order to complete the sense. The reference is to ver. 3; and the connection is, " since (ver. 3) God has given us these exalted privileges and hopes, in respect to this (kuto. or 3ia being understood), or as a consequence fairly flowing from this, we ought to give all diligence that we may make good use of these advantages, and secure as high attainments as we possibly can. We should add one virtue to another, that we may reach the highest possible elevation in holiness." 1 Giving all diligence. Gr., " Bringing in all zeal or effort." The meaning is, that we ought to make this a distinct and definite object, and to apply ourselves to it as a thing to be accomplished. H Add to your faith virtue. It is not meant in this verse and the following that we are to endeavor particularly to add these things one to another in the order in which they are specified, or that we are to seek first to have faith, and then to add to that virtue, and then to add knowledge to virtue rather than to faith, etc. The order in which this is to be done, the relation which one of these things may have to another, is not the point aimed at, nor are we to suppose that any other order of the words would not have answered the purpose of the apostle as well, or that any one of the* virtues specified would not sustain as direct a relation to any other as the one which he has specified. The design of the apostle is to say, in an emphatic manner, that we are to strive to possess and exhibit all these virtues; in other words, we are not to content ourselves with a single grace, but are to cultivate all the virtues, and to endeavor to make our piety complete in all the relations which we sustain. The essential idea in the passage before us seems to be that in our religion we are not to be satisfied with one virtue, or one class of virtues, but that there is to be (1) a diligent cultivation of our virtues, since the graces of religion are as susceptible of cultivation as any other virtues; (2) that there is to be progress made from one virtue to another, seeking to reach the highest possible point in our religion; and (3) that there is to be an accumulation of virtues and graces; or we are not to be satisfied with one class, or with the attainments which we can make in one class. We are to endeavor to add on one after another until we have become possessed of all. Faith, perhaps, is mentioned first because that is the foundation of all Christian virtues, and the other virtues are required to be added to that because, from the place which faith occupies in the plan of justification, many might be in danger of supposing that if they had that they had all that was necessary. Comp. James ii. 14 seq. In the Greek word rendered "add" {iirixopwynoaTt), then, is an allusion to a chorus-leader among the Greeks, and the sense is well expressed by Doddridge: "Be careful to accompany that belief with all the lovely train of attendant graces." Or, in other words, " let faith lead on as at the head of the choir or the graces, and let all the others follow in their order." The word here rendered virtue is the same which is used in ver. 3, and there is included in it, probably, the same general idea which was noticed there. All the things which the apostle specifies, unless knowledge be an exception, are virtues in the sense in which that "Word is commonly
ance;a and to temperance patience;* and to patience godliness;6
7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; d and to brotherly.kindness charity.*
8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither oe 1 barren nor unfruitful^ in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 But he that lacketh these things
used, and it can hardly be supposed that the apostle here meant to use a general term which would include all of the others. The probability is, therefore, that by the word here he has reference to the common meaning of the Greek word, as referring to manliness, courage, vigor, energy; and the sense is, that he wished them to evince whatever firmness or courage might be necessary in maintaining the principles of their religion, and in enduring the trials to which their faith might be subjected. True virtue is not a tame and passive thing. It requires great energy and boldness, for its very essence is firmness, manliness, and independence. If And to virtue knowledge. The knowledge of God and of the way of salvation through the Redeemer. Ver.3. Comp. chap. iii. 8. It is the duty of every Christian to make the highest possible attainments in knowledge.
6. And to knowledge temperance. On the meaning of the word temperance, see Notes on Acts xxiv. 25, and 1 Cor. ix. 25. The word here refers to the mastery over all our evil inclinations and appetites. We are to allow none of them to obtain control over us. See Notes on 1 Cor. vi. 12. This would include, of course, abstinence from intoxicating drinks; but it would also embrace all evil passions and propensities. Every thing is -to be confined within proper limits, and to no propensity of our nature are we to give indulgence beyond the limits which the law of God allows. *[f And to temperance patience. See Notes on James i. 4. 1" And to patience godliness. True piety. See Notes on ver. 3. Comp. 1 Tim. ii. 2; iii. 16; iv. 7, 8; vi. 3, 5, 6, 11.
7. And to godliness brotherly kindness. Love to Christians as such. See Notes on John xiii. 34; Heb. xiii. 1. If And to brotherly kindness charity. Love to all mankind. There is to be a peculiar affection for Christians as of the same family; there is to be a true and warm love, however, for all the race. See Notes on 1 Cor. xiii.
8. For if these things be in you, and abound. If they are in you in rich abundance; if you are eminent for these things. ^ They make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful. They will show that j'ou are not barren or unfruitful. The word rendered barren is in the margin idle. The word idle more accurately expresses the sense of the original. The meaning is, that if they evinced these things, it would show (1) that they were diligent in cultivating the Christian graces; and (2) that it was not a vain thing to attempt to grow in knowledge and virtue. Their efforts would be followed by such happy results as to be an encouragement to exertion. In nothing is there, in fact, more encouragement than in the attempt to become eminent in piety. On no other efforts does God smile more propitiously than on the attempt to secure the salvation of the soul and to do good. A small part of the exertions which men put forth to become rich, or learned, or celebrated for oratory or heroism, would secure the salvation of the soul. In the former, also, men often fail; in the latter, never.
9. But he that lacketh these things is blind. He has no clear views of the nature and the requirements of religion. U And can not see afar off. The word used here, which does not occur elsewhere in the New Testament (juLvcoTrdlw), means to shut the eyes; that is, to contract the eyelids, to blink, to twinkle, as one who can not see clearly, and hence to be near-sighted. The meaning here is, that he is like one who has an indistinct vision; one who can see only the objects that are near him, but who has no correct apprehension of objects that are more remote. He sees but a little way into the true nature and design of the Gospel. He does not take those large and clear views which would enable
is blind, a and can not see afar off, and hath forgotten that he "was purged from his old sins.
10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence6 to make your calling and election sure: for c ft
him to comprehend the whole system at a glance. II And hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. lie docs not remember the obligation which grows out of the fact that a system has been devised to purify the heart, and that he has been so far brought under the power of that system as to have his sins forgiven. If he had any just view of that, he would see that he was under obligation to make as high attainments as possible, and to cultivate to the utmost extent the Christian graces.
10. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence. Ver. 5. "In view of these things, give the greater diligence to secure your salvation." The considerations on which Peter based this appeal seem to have been (a) the fact that such promises are made to us, and such hopes held out before us; (&) the degree of uncertainty thrown over the" whole matter of our personal salvation by low attainments in the divine life; and (c) the dreadful condemnation which will ensue if in the end it shall be found that we are destitute of all real piety. The general thought is, that religion is of sufficient importance to claim our highest diligence, and to arouse us to the most earnest efforts to obtain the assurance of salvation. 1J To make your calling and election sure. On the meaning of the word calling, see Notes on Eph. iv. 1. On the meaning of the ward election, see Notes on Rom. ix. 11. Comp. 1 Thess. i. 4; Eph. i. 5. The word rendered election here (UXoyfi) occurs only in this place and in Acts ix. 15; Rom. ix. 11; xi. 5, 7, 28; 1 Thess. i. 4, though corresponding words from the same root denoting the elect, to elect, to choose, frequently occur. The word here used means election, referring to the act of God by which those who are saved are chosen to eternal life. As the word calling must refer to the act of God, so the word election must; for it is God who both calls and chooses those who shall be saved. The word in the Scriptures usually refers to the actual choosing of those who shall be saved; that is, referring to the time when they, in fact, become the children of God, rather than to the purpose of God that it shall be done; but still there must have been an eternal purpose, for God makes no choice which he did not always intend to make. The word sure means firm, steadfast, secure (Ptpaiav). Here the reference must be to themselves; that is, they were so to act as to make it certain to themselves that they had been chosen, and were truly called into the kingdom of God. It can not refer to God, for no act of theirs could make it more certain on his part if they had been actually chosen to eternal life. Still God every where treats men as moral agents, and what may be absolutely certain in his mind from the mere purpose that it shall be so, is to be made certain to us only by evidence, and in the free exercise of our own powers. The meaning here is, that they were to obtain such evidences of personal piety as to put the question whether they were called and chosen, so far as their own minds were concerned, to rest; or so as to have undoubted evidence on this point. The Syriac, the Vulgate, and some Greek manuscripts, insert here the expression " by your good works;" that is, they were to make their calling sure by their good works, or by holy living. This clause, as Calvin remarks, is not authorized by the best authority, but it does not materially affect the sense. It was undoubtedly by their " good works," in the sense of holy living, or of lives consecrated to the service of God, that they were to obtain the evidence that they were true Christians— that is, that they had been really called into the kingdom of God; for there is nothing else on which we can depend for such evidence. God has given no assurance to us by name that he intends to save us. We can rely on no voice or vision or new revelation to prove that it is so. No internal feeling of itself, no' raptures, no animal excitement, no confident persuasion in our own minds that we are elected, can be proof in the case, and the only certain evidence on which Ave can rely is that which is found in a life of sincere piety. In view of the important statement of Peter in this verse, then, ye do these things, ye shall never Ml:
11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly
into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 12 Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in re-
we may remark (1) that he believed in the doctrine of election, for he uses language which obviously implies this, or such as they are accustomed to use who believe the doctrine. (2.) The fact that God has chosen those who will be saved does not make their own efforts unnecessary to make that salvation sure to them. The hope of salvation can be made sure to our own minds only by our own exertions; by obtaining evidence that we are in fact the children of God. There can be no evidence that salvation will be ours unless there is a holy life; that is, unless there is true religion. Whatever may be the secret purpose of God in regard to us, the only evidence that we have that we shall be saved is to be found in the fact that we are sincere Christians, and are honestly endeavoring to do his will. (3.) It is possible to make our calling and election sure; that is, to have such evidence on the subject that the mind will be calm, and that there will be no danger of deception. If we can determine the point that we are in fact true Christians, that settles the matter — for then the unfailing promise of God meets us that we shall be saved. In making our salvation sure to our own minds, if we are in fact true Christians, we have not to go into an argument to prove that we have sufficient strength to resist temptation, or that wo shall be able in any way to keep ourselves. All that matter is settled by the promise of God, that if we are Christians we shall be kept by Jiim to salvation. The only question that is to be settled is whether we are in fact true Christians, and all beyond that may be regarded as determined immutably. But assuredly it is possible for a man to determine the question whether he is or is not a true Christian. (4.) If it.ram be done, it should be. Nothing 'is more important for us to do than this; and to this great inquiry we should apply our minds with unfaltering diligence, until by the grace of God we can say that we have no lingering doubts in regard to our final salvation. If For if ye do these things. The things referred to in the previous verses. If you use all diligence to make as high attainments as possible in piety, and if you practice the virtues demanded by religion. Ver. 5-7. If Ye shall never fall. You shall never fall into perdition. That is, you shall certainly be saved.
11. For so an entrance. In this manner you will be admitted into the kingdom of God. Shall be ministered unto you. The same Greek word is here used which occurs in ver. 5, and which is there rendered add. See Notes on that verse. There was not improbably in the mind of the apostle a recollection of that word, and the sense may be that " if they would lead on the virtues and graces referred to in their beautiful order, those graces would attend them in a radiant train to the mansions of immortal glory and blessedness." See Doddridge, in loc. If Abundantly. G r., richly. That is, the most ample entrance would be furnished; there would be no doubt about their admission there. The gates of glory would be thrown wide open, and they, adorned with all the bright train of graces, would be admitted there. If Into the everlasting kingdom, etc. Heaven. It is here called everlasting, not because the Lord Jesus will preside over it as the Mediator (comp. Notes on 1 Cor. xv. 24), but because in the form which will be established when "he shall have given it up to the Father," it will endure forever. The empire of God which the Redeemer will set up over the souls of his people will endure, to all eternity. The object of the plan of redemption was to secure their allegiance to God, and that will never terminate.
12. Wherefore I will not be negligent. That is, in view of the importance of these things. If To put you always in remembrance. To give you the means of having them always in remembrance; to wit, by his writings. If Though ye know them. It was of importance for Peter, as it is for ministers of the Gospel now, to bring known truths to remembrance. Men are liable to forget them, and they do
membrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present troth. 13 Yea, I think it meet, as long
not exert the influence over them which they ought. It is the office of the ministry not only to impart to a people truths which they did not know before, but a large part of their work is to bring to recollection wellknown truths, and to seek that they may exert a proper influence on the life. Amid the cares, the business, the amusements, and the temptations of the world, even true Christians are prone to forget them; and the ministers of the Gospel render them an essential service even if they should do nothing more than remind them of truths which are well understood, and which they have known before. A pastor, in order to be useful, need not always aim at originality, or deem it necessary always to present truths which have never been heard of before. Comp. Matt. xiii. 52. He renders an essential service to mankind who reminds them of what they know but are prone to forget, and who endeavors to impress plain and familiar truths on the heart and conscience, for these truths are most important for man. If And be established in the present truth. That is, the truth which is with you, or which you have received. Rob. Lex. on the word ira.pi.Lfxi. The apostle did not doubt that they wrere now confirmed in the truth as far as it had been made known to them, but he felt that amid their trials, and especially as they were liable to be drawn away by false teachers, there was need of reminding them of the grounds on which the truths which they had embraced rested, and of adding his own testimony to confirm their divine origin. Though we may be very firm in our belief of the truth, yet there is a propriety that the grounds of our faith should be stated to us frequently, that they may be always in our remembrance. The mere fact that at present we arc firm in the belief of the truth is no certain evidence that we shall always continue to be: nor because we are thus firm should we deem it improper for our religious teachers to state the grounds on which our faith rests, or to guard
as I am in this tabernacle, to stir a you up, by putting you in remembrance; 14 Knowing that shortly I must
us against the arts of those who would attempt to subvert our faith.
13. Yea, I think it meet. I think it becomes me as an apostle. It is my appropriate duty; a duty which is felt the more as the close of life draws near. If As long as J am in this tabernacle. As long as I live; as long as I am in the body. The body is called a tabernacle, or tent, as that in which the soul resides for a little time. See Notes on 2 Cor. v. 1. If To stir you up by putting you in remembrance. To excite or arouse you to a diligent performance of your duties; to keep up in your minds a lively sense of divine things. Religion becomes more important to a man's mind always as he draws near the end of life, and feels that he is soon to enter the eternal
14. Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle. That I must die. This he knew, probably, because he was growing old, and was reaching the outer period of human life. It does not appear that he had any express revelation on the point. Tf Even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath showed me. See Notes on John xxi. 18, 19. This does not mean that he had any new revelation on the subject, showing him that he was soon to die, as many o^the ancients supposed; but the idea is, that the time drew near when he was to die in the manner in which the Saviour had told him that he would. He had said (John xxi. 18) that this would occur when he should be " old," and as he was now becoming old, he felt that the predicted event was drawing near. Many years had now elapsed since this remarkable prophecy was uttered. It would seem that Peter had never doubted the truth of it, and during all that time he had had before him the distinct assurance that he must die by violence; by having "his hands stretched forth;" and by being conveyed by force to some place of death to which he would not of himself go (John xxi. 18); but, though the prospect of such a death must have been painful, he never turned away from
put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord. Jesus Christ hath shewed me." 15 Moreover, I will endeavour
it; he never sought to abandon his Master's cause; he never doubted that it would be so. This is one of the few instances that have occurred in the world where a man knew distinctly, long beforehand, what would be the manner of his own death, and where he could have it constantly in his eye. We can not foresee this in regard to ourselves, but we may learn to feel that death is not far distant, and may accustom ourselves, as Peter did, to think upon it in whatever manner it may come upon us, and endeavor to prepare for it. Peter would naturally seek to prepare himself for death in the particular form in which he knew it would occur to him; we should prepare for it in whatever way it may occur to us. The subject of crucifixion would be one of peculiar interest to him; to us death itself should be the subject of peculiar interest— the manner ts to be left to God. Whatever may be the signs of its approach, whether sickness or gray hairs, we should meditate much upon an event so solemn to us, and as these indications thicken we should be more diligent, as Peter was, in doing the work that God has given us to do. Our days, like the fabled Sybil's leaves, become more valuable as they are diminished in number; and asihe " inevitable hour" draws nearer to us, we should labor more diligently in our Master's cause, gird our loins more closely, and trim our lamps. Peter thought of the cross, for it was such a death that he was led to anticipate. Let us think of the bed of languishing on which we may die, or of the blow that may strike us suddenly down in the midst of our way, calling us without a moment's warning into the presence of our Judge.
15. Moreover, 1 will endeavor. I will leave such a permanent record of my views on these subjects that you may not forget them. He meant not only to declare his sentiments orally, but to record them that they might be perused when he was dead. He had such a firm conviction of the truth and value of the sentiments which he that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance. 16 For we have not followed held, that he would use all the means in his power that the Church and the world should not forget them. After my decease. My exode {V^ooov); my journey out; my departure; my exit from life. This is not the usual word to denote death, but is rather a word denoting that he was going on a journey out of this world. He did not expect to cease to be, but he expected to go on his travels to a distant abode. This idea runs through all this beautiful description of the feelings of Peter as he contemplated death. Hence he speaks of taking down the "tabernacle" or tent, the temporary abode of the soul, that his spirit might be removed to another place (ver. 13); and hence he speaks of an exode from the present life — a journey to another world. This is the true notion of death; and, if so, two things follow from it: (1.) We should make preparation for it, as we do for a journey, and the more in proportion to the distance that we are to travel, and the time that we are to be absent; and (2) when the preparation is made, we should not be unwilling to enter on the journey, as we are not now when we are prepared to leave our homes to visit some remote part of our own country or a distant land. 1 To have these things always in rememorance. By his writings. We may learn from this (1) that when a Christian grows old, and draws near to death, his sense of the value of divine truth by no means diminishes. As he approaches the eternal world; as from its borders he surveys the past and looks on to what is to come; as he remembers what benefit the truths of religion have conferred on him in life, and sees what a miserable being he would now be if he had no such hope as the Gospel inspires; as he looks on the whole influence of those truths on his family and friends, on his country and the world, their value rises before him with a magnitude which he never saw before, and he desires most earnestly that they should be seen and embraced by all. A man on the borders of eternity is likely to have a very deep sense of the value of the Christian religion; and is he not then in favorable circumstances to estimate this matter aright f Let any one place himself in imarf nation in the situation of one who is on the borders of the eternal world, as all in fact soon will be, and can he have any doubt about the value of religious truth V (2.) We may learn from what Peter says here that it is the duty of those who are drawing- near to the eternal world, and who are the friends of religion, to do all they can that the truths of Christianity "may be always had in remembrance." Every man's experience of the value of religion, and the results of his examination and observation, should be regarded as the property of the world, and should not be lost. As he is about to die, he should seek, by all the means in his power, that those truths should be perpetuated and propagated. This duty may be discharged, by some in counsels offered to the young, as they are about to enter on life, giving them the results of their own experience, observation, and reflections on the subject of religion; by some, by an example so consistent that it can not be soon forgotten—a legacy to friends and to the world of much more value than accumulated silver and gold; by some, by solemn warnings or exhortations on the bed of death; in other cases, by a recorded experience of the conviction and value of religion, and a written defense of its truth and an illustration of its nature — for every man who can write a good book owes it to the Church and the world to do it; by others, in leaving the means of publishing and spreading good books in the world. He does a good service to his own age, and to future ages, who records the results of his observations and his reflections in favor of the truth in a book that will be readable; and though the book itself may be ultimately forgotten, it may have saved some persons from ruin, and may have accomplished its part in keeping up the knowledge of the truth in his own generation. Peter, as a minister of the Gospel, felt himself bound to do this, and no men have so good an opportunity of doing this now as ministers of the Gospel. No men have more ready access to the press. No men have so much certainty that they will have the public K 2 attention, if they will write any thing worth reading. No men, commonly, in a community are better educated, or are more accustomed to write. No men, by their profession, seem to be so much called to address their fellow-men in any way in favor of the truth; and it is matter of great marvel that men who have such opportunities, and who seem especially called to the work, do not do more of this kind of service in the cause of religion. Themselves soon to die, how can they help desiring that they may leave something that shall bear an honorable, though humble, testimony to truths which they so much prize, and which they are appointed to defend? A tract may live long after the author is in the grave; and who can calculate the results which have followed the efforts of Baxter and Edwards to keep up in the world the remembrance of the truths which they deemed of so much value? This little epistle of Peter, written when he was an old man, has shed light on the path of men now for eighteen hundred years, and will continue to do it until the second coming of the Saviour.