have been an Fr-» itne(s, as well as Eye-witneſs of Chriſt's Glory, hereby intimating that there was as much certainty of the Gof- pel, even in an Humane way, as could poſſibly be obtained of any thing that is done in the World, fecing Men can be humanely cer- tain of nothing more, than of what they perceive by their Senſes : compare 1 John 1. 1,3. / So called, not becauſe of any inherent Holineſs in it, but becauſe of the extraordinary manifeſtation of God's Preſence there, in the ſame ſenſe as the Ground is called hv- ly, where God appeared to Moſes and Joſhua, Exod. 3. 5. Toſh. $ 4. 19 We have allo 24 more ſure word of prophe- cy 7, whereunto, ye do well that ye take heed z, as unto * alight x thar ſhineth in a dark place y, un- til the + day dawn, and the day-ſtar 5 ariſe in your hearts.
t Peter having proved the certainty of the Evangelical Doftrine, by their Teſtimony that had ſeen Chriſt's Glory in his Transfigura- tion, and heard the Father's Teſtimony of him, now proves the fame by the Teſtimony of the Prophets under the Old-Teſtament, and calls the word of Prophecy a more ſure Word, comparing 1t e1-
ther, 1. with the Voice from Heaven, then which he calls the word .
of Prophecy more firn or ſure, not in reſpe& of Truth (which vas equal in both) but in reſpe& of the manner of its Revelation, the Voice from Heaven beinz tranſient, and heard only by three Apoſtles; whereas the Word of Prophecy was not only received by the Prophets from God, but by his Command committed to Writing, confirmed by a Succeſſion of their tellow-Prophets 1n their ſeveral Generations, and approved ' by Chrift himſelf, and by him preferred before Miracles themſelves, Luke 16. 29, 31. Or, 2. with the Teſtimony of Peter, and the other two Apoſtles, con- cerning that Voice which came to Chriſt, than which Teſtimony the
Word of Prophecy is Ml: more ſure; not ſimply and in it
ſelf, but in reſp2& of t to whom the &4poſtle writ ; 1t was more firm in their minds who had received it; or, more fure as to them that were Fews, and had ſo fully enterrained the writings of the Prophets, and had th-m in ſo great Veneration, being con- firmed by the conſenr of ſo miny Ages ; whereas the Teſtimony of theſe Apoſtles did not ſo filly appear ro them to be Divine, as not being heretofore exprefſed RF. Scripture. u ip of That ye ſearch and ſtudy it, ſubje& your Conſciences to the Power of it, and order your Converſations according to it, . » Or, Lamp,. to which the
Word is often compared, Pſal. £7g; 2057 Poo; 65235 Becauſe;
Vol. IE.
1, ?>7£E3E7T EK
e The Dodtrine before delivered concerning Faith in Chriſt, the
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as 4 Lamp, or Candle lighted, diſpeis the Darkneſs, and gives Light to thoſe that are in the Houſe, or Room where it is; ſo *the Word gives Light to all them thatare in God's Houſe, as the Churct: 15 called, 1 Tim. 3-15. y Or dirty, ſqualid, becauſe places that have no Light, are uſually filthy ; the Dirt which is not ſeen is not re- moved, 7 Either, 1. The laſt day called the Day by way of ex- cellency, becauſe when it once beyins, it will never end, and will be all Light without any Darkneſs; and then what is faid of the Word of Prophecy, is to be underſtood of the whote Scripture : and the ſence 1s, That whereas the whole time of this Lite is but 2 kind of Night of Error and IT>norance, God hath fet up his Catt- dle, given us the Light of the Scripture to guide us, and lead us til we come to th« glorious Lizhr or the future Lite, in which we ſhall haye no need of" the Lizht of the Scripture to dirett us, but ſhall fee God as he is, and Face to Face, 1 Cor. 13. 12. According to this Expoſition, the dawning of the Day, and the Day-5t ar arts
ſing, do not fignity different parts of the ſame Day, but rather the
whole Day as oppoſed to that Darkneſs which would totally aver- ſpread us, were it not for the Light the Word affords us : Our minds of themſelves are dark, in them the Lizht of the Word ſhines, and diſpels the Darkneſs by degrees, according as the Spirit gives us
more underſtanding of it ; but yet the Darkneſs will not be wholly
removed, till the Day of Eternal Lite dazvn upon us, and the Day- Star of the perte&t Knowledge of God in the Beatifical Viſion arife in our hearts. Or, 2. By the Day-dawning, and the Day-Star ariſing, may be underſtood a more tull, clear, and explicit Know- ledge of Chrift, and the Myfteries of the Goſpel; and then this relates particularly to the Prophecies of the Old-Teſtament ; and, as Paul calls the times of the Old-Teſtament, a Night, Ron, 15.42. as bcing a time of Darkneſs and Shadows, in compariſon of the Light and Knoivledge of Chriſt under the New-Teſtament ; fo Petey here compares the Writings of the Prophets to a Candle, which gives ſome, but leſs Light, and the Preaching of the Got- pel to the Day-dawning, and Day-Star ariſing; and commends theſe Chriſtian Jews to whom he writ, for making uſe of, and attending to, even this letfer Lizht, till they attained to greater degrees of Hlumination, and the. Day-Star of a more full and clear knowledsc of. Chriſt, as revealed in the Goſpel, dd ariſe in their hearts, This Expotition 1s tavoured by 4&s 17. 11. they there,and ſo the Fewi// Converts here, did ſearch the Scriptures, to ſee 1f the things ſpoken by the Apoſtles did agree with what was before written by the Propncts ; and as they there, ſo theſe here, are commended tor tne1r d1i1zence 11 fo doing, and intimation given them, that they mutt attend to the Light of the Old-Teſtament-Prophecies, till they were thereby led into a greater knowledge and underſtanding of the Goſpel-revelation. £
Chap.II.
20 Knowing this firſt a that * no prophecy of the * Rom. :2:
Scripture is of any private interpretarion 6.
4 Either, principally and above other thinzs, as being moſt worthy to be known ; or, knowing this as the firſt Principle of Faith, or the firſt thing to be Believed. b The Greeh word here uſed, may be rendred, either, 1. As our Tranſlators do Interpreta- tronor Explication, and then the meaning is, not that private men
4
are not to interpret the Scripture, only refer all to the Church ;-