The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Peter — Section 83

holiness and inspired wisdom; be is wholly ab0ve petty jealou~ies ancl resentment~. Christians ought never to take offence, especially at well-intentioned rebukes; they ought to be thankful for them. Christians ought to rejoice at the graces vouchsafed to others-at their zeal, energy, love, at the success of their religious efforts. Envy, especially among Christians, is a hateful vice, a deadly sin. St. l'eter, the first of the apostles, appeals to St. Paul, who was called last of all ; he is an example of Christian humility. The two holy apostles taught the same great truths. St. Pan! and St. Peter both press earnestly upon us the great danger of spiritual sloth; both warn us that the day of the Lord cometh suddenly, like a thief; both urge us to be w11.tchful. Let us listen to those two holy men as they echo the solemn teachin<T of the "reat 0 Master. 2. There are dijficultie.~ in St. Paul's writings. Men misre presentecl" the gre11.t apostle even from the beginning; they represented him as teaching, "Let us do evil, that good may come" (Rom. iii. 8). '.rhey distorted his doctrine of justification, and perverted it into antinomianism; though he himself had taught th11.t the faith by which we are saved is "faith which worketh by love," and th:\t faith which coulci. remove mountains is nothing if it be alone, without charity. The false teachers, against whom St. Peter has been warning his readers, were probably among these perverters of the apostle's meaning. It is no wonder: "The letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life." There will always be in the visible Church men unlearned and unstable, untaught by the Holy Spirit of God who alone can guide us to the truth, and therefore without steadfastness, carried away with every blast of vain doctrine. Such men wrest to their own destruction, not only the "things hard to be understood " in St. Paul's Epistles, but Holy Scripture generally. For it is not the written Word that in the fullest sense saves the soul, but the Word of life, the Word that is living and powerful, the Lord Jesus Christ himself manifested to the believer. We may find him in the thoughtful, devout study of God's holy Word; but to find Christ., to '\\'ill Christ, we must count all else as loss; we must forsake selfish aims, self-exaltation, self-indulgence, and follow in humility and earnest prayer the leading of the blessed Spirit. 'l'he written Word is a most precious gift; but no outward privilege can save us. Nay, awful as it seems, men may wrest it, and do wrest it, to their own destruc- tion. Receive it in simplicity and faith, and it will save the soul. God reveals its deep holy mel\ning to babes in Christ. But if men with perverse ingenuity will use it as the weapon of party strife, and twist its sacred words to suit their selfish purposes, then it may-alas! that it should be so-increase their condemnation. "'l'he Jetter killeth." Oorruptio optimi pessima. 3. There is need of thoughtful watchfulness. False teachers distort the meaning of Holy Scripture; they wander far from the truth; they are self-willed, lawless, disobedient to the Law of God written in the heart, revealed in his Word. Therefore Christians must be on their guard; they must "not believe every spirit, but try the spirits, whether they be of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world." This conflict of opinions sometimes produces painful doubts and uncertainties; it is one of the trials of the Christian life. 4 . .And of growth in grace. God will reveal the truth to the babes in Obrist. He will not leave the humble, faithful soul in darkness and perplexity. Only let a man earnestly pray for the grace of God; only let him strive daily to draw nearer to Christ, and to gain that inner knowledge of Christ Jesus the Lord, in comparison with which all things else are dross ;-and the light of the presence of Christ will surely dawn upon him, and in that light he·will find a Guide to bring him to eternal life. For his is the glory now and to the day of eternity, and he is "able to save to the uttermost all who come to God by him." LESSONS. 1. "The fashion of this world passeth away." What country shall we belong to ?-this dying world, or the eternal city? 2. '!'he great day is at hand; we must look forward to it. We must prepare the way of the Lord; we must pray," Thy kingdom come." 3. In the new earth righteousness dwelletb. Let us follow after righteousness; let us be diligent, "that we may be found in peace, blameless in bis sight." 4. Let us study the Scriptures in faith and prayer, that we may grow in grace.  78 THE SECOND EPISTLE GENERAL OF PETER. [oH. m. 1-18,