1 Pet. iv. 7. The end of all things is at hand : be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.
THE office of the Gospel is, not to fill the mind with notions, but to renew the heart, and sanctify the life. It is true indeed, that the smallest con- formity to its precepts will cause us to be loaded with obloquy and derision by an ungodly world3: but it furnishes us with very sufficient motives to disregard the censures of men, and to devote our- selves unreservedly to Godb. The nearness of death and judgment is of itself an irresistible argument for
a ver. 4.
b This seems to be the meaning of the verse before the text.
m 1 PETER, IV. 7. [>!()().
maintaining an indifference to earthly things, and for exerting ourselves to the uttermost to secure a happy eternity. Such is the scope of the Apostle's words ; in commenting on which we shall notice,
I. The declaration —
[It is possible that St. Peter, in speaking of " the end of all things," might have some reference to the destruction of Jerusalem, which was fast approaching, and to the consequent annihilation of the Jewish polity. But it is more probable that he referred to the end of the world, which was generally represented as so near, that St. Paul was obliged to rectify the mistake which had arisen in the minds of the Thessalonians with respect to itc. We may however justly consider it as relating to the hour of death, which is to every man " the end of all things" here below. Death terminates our joys and
honours, how elevated soever they may be It puts a
period also to our hopes and prospects, be they ever so bright
and well-founded It incapacitates us also for carrying
into effect all our purposes and endeavours. We may have seen the vanity of earthly things, and have formed a resolution to withdraw our affections from them, and to prosecute with care the things belonging to our everlasting peace : we may have actually begun to execute our purposes : we may have begun to pay more attention to divine ordinances, than we have done in past times, and to read some religious books, and to culti- vate an acquaintance with some pious characters, in hopes of getting instruction from them, and of furthering thereby our eternal interests : but death will cut short all these good be- ginnings, and leave us cause to bewail to all eternity that we had deferred the concerns of our souls so long. The very instant death comes, there is no more room for repentance ; no more shall the tidings of salvation through a crucified Redeemer sound in our ears ; no more will the Holy Spirit strive with us •- to bring us to God ; the time for repentance is past ; the offers of salvation are closed ; the day of grace is- come to an end ; and nothing remains for the soul but to weep and bewail its
folly in hell for ever and ever
This period is nigh " at hand" to every one of us. If our life were prolonged to the age of Methuselah, the space would be only as the twinkling of an eye in comparison of eternity'1 : but it is contracted to a very narrow span ; nor can we be sure that it shall continue even to the expiration of the present day: so justly may it be said in reference to all of us, "The end of all things is at hand."]
c 2 Thess. ii. 2, 3. d 2 Pet. iii. 8.