1. It may be meant of Christ's ])articular coming to judge these wicked men. This epistle was written about thirty years after Christ's death, and there was but a little time between that and Jerusalem's last ; so that unto the coming of the Lord, is until the overwhelming of Jerusalem, which is also elsewhere expressed by coming, if we may believe Chrysostom and G^cumenius, on John xxi. 22, ' If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee ?' that is, come, say they, to Jerusalem's destruction. Thus God often coraeth to his people ; and the note is : —
06.9. That Christians, to assuage their griefs, should often think of Christ's coming to their rescue and deliverance. Have a little pa- tience, and when your Master cometh, he will put an end to your afflictions. Long for the coming of Christ, but wait for it ; do not bind the counsels of God. Usually his coming is when he is least looked for : Luke xviii. 7, 8, ' VN^hen the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith upon the earth?' that is, confidence that he will avenge ; will any look for him then ? Mat. xxv, 6, 'At midnight there was a cry made, The bridegroom cometh.' Who would look for the bride- groom at midnight ? Usually because our expectations are earnest to be satisfied, we give over waiting : our time is always present, and flesh and blood is soon tired ; yet, as long as it seemeth, it is but a short time : Heb. x. 37, ' He that shall come, will come, and will not tarry.
2. It is meant of the general day of judgment, which is the day of their vengeance and your recompenses. tSee botli in 2 Thes. i. 6-8, ' treeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you ; and to you which are troubled rest, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance of them which obey not the gospel of Jesus (Jhrist ; ' which is not to be understood as if they should not be pimished nor we rewarded before tliat day ; but then both arc more lull and complete : the wicked that are now in chains of darkness looking for a more terrible day, and glorified souls lor a more full re- ward, their bodies as yet remaining under the dominion of death. The note is : —
Ohs. That a spiritual argument of patience is a thought of the day of judgment. Here we are beaten by enemies and fellow-servants, but then the Lord will come, and all will be well. Mat. xxiv. 51. Oh ! it will be sweet when we shall be hugged in the arms of Christ, and he shall say, ' Well done, well suffered, my good and faithful servant;*
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and he shall put the crown upon our heads with his own hands. Well, then, love the comin<^ of Christ, 2 Tim. iv. 8, and hasten it, 2 Peter iii. 12 ; cry as the spouse, ' Even so, Lord Jesus ; come quickly,' Rev. xxii.
Behold, the husbandman ivailcih. — Here the apostle anticipateth an objection : Ay ! but we wait long ; so doth the husbandman, saith the apostle, for that which is nothing so ])recious as your hopes. Clemens saith,! that James and his brother Jnde were husbandmen, and therefore do they so often bring similitudes from their own calling, of trees, plants, and fruits of the earth, &c.
For the precious fruit of the earth, Kupirov rlfiLov. — Precious, because it costeth hard labour, and because it is a choice blessing of God for the sustentation of life. This term is used to show that though the fruit be dear to the husbandman, as deliverance is to you, yet he waiteth for it, and, as the apostle saith, 'hath long patience.'
Until he receive the early and the latter rain ; that is, the former, which falleth a little before sowing ; and the latter, a little before the rii)ening of the corn. These are phrases often used in the prophets. The meaning is, then, he looketh till, in an ordinary way of provi- dence, it may be ripened. So Hosea vi. 3, ' As the former and latter rain to the earth.' Especially we hear of the latter rain ; for the latter rain, that fell somewhat before harvest, was a rain that came seldom in that country, but was much desired for the refreshing of the corn, and other fruits and blessings of the earth.
Ohs. From that behold the husbandman. We must behold out- ward objects to a heavenly purpose, and every ordinary sight should be improved : so doth Christ in his parables ; so elsewhere he sendetli us to learn of the lilies, as James doth to the husbandman : so Job biddeth us 'to confer with the beasts, and ask of the fishes,' Job xii. 7, 8 ; that is, by meditation to draw useful collections from them. But you will say, How shall we improve common objects ? I answer — Two ways : in an argumentative and representative way; by reasoning from them, by viewing the resemblance between them and spiritual matters ; as in the present case and similitude of the apostle, (i.) In meditation argue thus : If a husbandman, upon ordinary principles of reason, can wait for the harvest, shall not I w^ait for the coming of the Lord, the day of refreshing ? The corn is precious to him, and so is the coming of Christ to me ; shall he be so patient, and endure so much for a little corn, and not I for the kingdom of heaven ? He is willing to stay till all causes have had their operation, and he hath received the former and the latter rain ; and shall not I till the divine decrees be accomplished? (2.) In meditation make the re- semblance and discourse thus within yourselves: This is my seed- time, heaven is the harvest ; here I must labour and toil, and there rest. I see the husbandman's life is a great toil : we can obtain no excellent tiling without labour and an obstinate patience. I see the seed must be hidden in the furrows, rotten, and corrupted, ere it can spring forth with any increase ; our hopes are hidden, and light is sown for the righteous, Ps. xcii. 11; all our comforts are buried