are strongly tempted. \Ye are here exhorted not to flee from but to face the devil; and James adds the thought that, when we boldly face him, he will flee from us. '!'here ~eems to be a connecti~g of the devil with the persecutions that were takiug place. Paul says that Satan hrndered mice and again his going to the 'l'hessalonians. So, through the persecutors who ~,~re under. his influence, he was opposing the Christians; and they were not weakly to yield to him, but to stand up against him. 'l'hey couhl only expect to be unwavering in their staud against him in thefr faith, i.e. in the stron" conviction that t-hey were not left to themselves, but that there was One with the~ stronger than their adversary. Let them be supported by the consciousness that they occupied no singular position. It was the destiny of the brotherhood in the world to suffer. The same sufferings were being accomplished in Ilahylon from which he wrote as in the Churches of Asia Minor to which he wrote. 3. Promise of support from God. "And the God of all grace, who called you unto his eternal glory in Christ, after that ye have suffered a little while, shall himself perfect, stablish, strengthen you." They were to be steadfast in their faith; there was this promise on which their faith could rest. 'l'he God of the promise is designated the God of all grace, i.e. who could supply grace up to and beyond all their needs. 'rhe beginning of his grace was when he called them in Christ; but that beginning was connected with an end. He called them unto his eternal glory. The end was not to be reached, unless by means going before. The foregoing condition was suffering a little while. There is consolation in the manner of st:l.ting it, the shortness of the st1ffering being placed in contrast with the length of the glory. In and through the suffering God would support them, so that they would not fail of eternal glory. There being three words employed has the effect of giving increased force to the idea. 'l'he first word is a. promise that God will supply all that is lacl.:i1,g in the elements of character upon which strength depends. The second word is a promise that God will keep from being overpowered in the actual assault. The third word is a promise that God will increase strength so as to tum successful resist- ance into , ictorious a~gression. The God who called, he will support all through unto eternal glory. 4. Doxology annexed to the promise. "To him be the dominion for ever and ever. Amen." "Power" is a better word than "dominion." When God promises us power or !):irns us to experience power, it becomes us to ascribe the power to him. As we 1:shall be receiving accessions of power through the ages of nges, our ascriptions of power can never end. As our ascriptions are so defective il.t their best, wo seek to have them intensified by adding our "Amen."-Il. F.
Yers. 12-14.-0onclusion. L NoTICE REGARDING THE LETTER. 1. The bearer. 11 By Silvanus, our faithful brother, as I account him, I have written unto you briefly." Peter has written at considerable length, and yet, in comparison with the crowding of thoughts on his mind, briefly, being able to be brief because he had so qualified a. messenger in Silvanus. This Silvanus or Silas is a link between Peter and Paul. He was associated with Paul in the writing of the two letters to the Thessalonians. He bad assisted Paul in the founding of the Churches here addressed. This associate and assistant of Paul's Peter accounted a faithful brother. .As he had been faithful in past services to the Churches, be would also be faithful in this. 2. Aim. "Exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God : stand ye fast therein." "He proposed an er1,lwrting and a testifying, both in close connection with each other, as the immediate juxtaposition of the ideas shows. The occasion of them lay in this, that the readers, as professing Christians, had to endure severe afflictions through the slanders of the heathen. In view of the dangers lying therein, the apostle was careful, on the one hand, to exhort them to patience, by directing their minds to the future inheritance, as also to the conti □ uance in holiness, and to a conduct towards each other and towards the heathen, such as would lead the latter to see how groundless their slanders were; and, on the other hand, that his exhortation might not be without a firm basis, to assure them that a state of suffering was the true Divine state of grace" (Buther). Having stated his aim, he also exemplifies it. Having tcstifieJ. to their standing in the true grace (we may understand through Pauline preaching, wliich thus agreed with Petrine 1,reaching) he exhorts them to stand fast therein. II. BALUTATIONS. 1. The Church in Babylon. "She that is in Babylon, elect together with you, saluteth you.'' It is i;ignificant of the widespreaJ. activity of l'eter that he OH. v. 1-14.J 'l'HE FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF PETER. 237