gives of this word of prophecy;' which we are told is beyond comparison the best and the surest evidence we have for our faith. He compares it to a light shining in a dark place,' and distinguishes it from day-light, and that brightness which is ushered in by the day-star. This word of prophecy,' then, is here compared by St. Peter to the glimmering light of a candle seen at a distance in a dark night; which, though it gives some direction, yet is nothing compared to clear day-light. Is not this now a choice account of the evidence of the gospel? nay, of the very best evidence which we have of the gospel? Are we still surrounded on all sides with darkness, assisted by one only distant glimmering light? Was it thus that Christ came to be a light to lighten the Gentiles, and to be the glory of Israel?' St. Peter, in his first epistle, tells all Christians that they are called out of darkness into God's marvellous light ;' how comes he then in this second epistle to tell them that they are still in darkness, and have nothing but a light glimmering in the darkness to direct them? Can the same writer possibly be supposed to give such different accounts of our gospel-state? Ask St. Paul what state Christians are in: he will tell you 'that the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, has shone unto them: 2 Cor. iv. 4. Ask the Evangelists; they will tell you, the day-spring from on high hath visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death.' Ask any, or all of the Apostles'; they will tell you their commission is to open the eyes of the people, and to turn them from darkness to light:' Acts xxvi. 16. agreeable to what our Lord told his disciples, 'Ye are the light of the world:' Matth. v. 14. How different is this account from that which St. Peter is supposed to give of the 'best light' we have under the gospel, in contradiction to himself, and almost every writer of the New Testament!

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But let us go one step farther, and we shall find that St. Peter in the text is so far from speaking of the word of prophecy' as of the best light or evidence to be had for the point in question, whatever it was, that he manifestly speaks of it as not the best, but as a light to be attended to only until a better comes. Hear his words: We have also a more sure word of prophecy, whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as

unto a light that shineth in a dark place, UNTIL the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts.' This light, you see, is to be attended to only till the day-light comes; so far is it from being itself the best light, that it must give way to a better. What the true import and meaning of this is we shall see hereafter. But surely St. Peter would not have limited any time for their attending to the word of prophecy, had he been considering it as the best support of Christian faith; for in that sense it ought ever to be attended to, and to be the constant employment of a Christian's meditation so long as life and thought remain with him.

These reasons, I suppose, prevailed with interpreters to quit the apparent sense of this text, which seems to prefer the authority of prophecy to the authority of all other evidence, whereby the doctrine of the gospel is confirmed; and to seek for some other more conformable to truth and reason. But however they are agreed in rejecting this sense, they are far from being agreed in establishing any other.

The Greek expositors suppose the sense here to be, the prophecy is now to Christians' a more sure and convincing evidence than ever it was, having been verified and established by the events. This interpretation preserves the force of the comparison; but then it places the comparison where St. Peter has not placed it. He manifestly compares the evidence of prophecy to the evidence arising from the glorification of Christ, attested by those who delivered what they had heard and seen with their own eyes and ears; but of the evidence and weight of prophecy before and after the completion he says nothing. Grotius thought this sense the most convenient, and has adopted it in his commentary on the place.

Others * suppose that the comparative is used in this text in the sense of the positive, to express the great certainty of the evidence mentioned. According to them, the meaning is, 'that we have a very sure evidence in the words of prophecy.' This exposition introduces a new use of language into the text, for which having nó sufficient authority to produce, it can claim no authority itself. The instances given to support

* Erasmus, Junius, and Tremellius.

this construction, as far as I have seen, are not pertinently alleged.

Others, preserving the natural signification of the words, and therefore admitting the comparison, will not however allow the comparison to be absolute, but only relative; relative to the opinions and prejudices of the Jews, to whom this Epistle was directed. According to this interpretation, the Apostle does not assert that prophecy is in itself a better argument than the Evangelical evidence, but only that it is better to Jews; who, being educated in an esteem and reverence for the prophets from their childhood, and being but new and tender converts to the gospel, had a much greater regard to the authority of their own prophets than to the testimony of the Apostles. But as to this exposition, in the first place there is nothing in the text to countenance it; in the next place, had this been St. Peter's meaning, he never would have spoken in the first person, and joined himself in the same opinion with his countrymen : WE have,' says he, a more sure word of prophecy.' Now whatever the Jews thought, St. Peter could not think that the ancient obscure prophecies, and which he compares immediately to a light shining in a dark place,' were a stronger evidence than the miracles of Jesus, and the attestation of God himself to the truth of his mission. This therefore could not be St. Peter's meaning.

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These are the most considerable expositions which have been given of this passage. It is evident that all interpreters have been sensible of the absurdity of setting up prophecy as a superior evidence to all other gospel evidence; and that to avoid this difficulty, they have been driven to seek out other meanings. And yet, without all question, the words of the text, according to their most natural sense, do import that the evidence of prophecy is a surer evidence than that before mentioned; which was the Apostle's own testimony of the glory of Christ, which he had seen with his eyes; and of the voice of God declaring Christ to be his beloved Son; of which the Apostle was an ear-witness in the mount. But as natural as this sense is, yet they who conclude from hence that prophecy is a better evidence of the mission of Christ and the truth of the gospel than any other evidence, draw a conclusion which

the text will not justify. For look back and see what is the thing to be proved by this more sure word of prophecy; is it the mission of Christ? St. Peter says nothing of it. Is it the truth of the gospel? Nothing less. The Apostle tell us, in the 16th verse, that God declared Christ by a voice from the excellent glory, to be his beloved Son;' but this is not the thing he would prove, for he brings this declaration to prove something else; and this declaration is considered as one of the proofs to which he compares the word of prophecy.

To clear this matter, let us consider what it is that St. Peter intended to prove; for without knowing this it is impossible to judge of the comparison in the text; for in some cases prophecy is no proof, in others it may be our very best evidence, notwithstanding that it is a glimmering light faintly shining through the dark.

The second epistle of St. Peter was written to support and maintain the hopes and expectations which he had raised in his first, as will be evident on a comparison of the two together. To the first epistle, therefore, we must go to see the foundation and rise of the matter to which this controverted text in the second relates.

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The Christians, to whom the first epistle was directed, were in a state of severe trial and persecution; they were for a season in heaviness, through manifold temptations' i. 6. they were spoken against as evil doers:' ii. 12. iii. 16. iv. 4. They suffered for righteousness sake:' iii. 14. they were reproached for the name of Christ:' iv. 14. and were made partakers of his sufferings:' verse 13. This being the case, the Apostle administers suitable advice to them: he calls on them to arm themselves with the same mind which was in Christ; who suffered for us in the flesh :' iv. 1. he bids them account it their happiness that they were reproached for the name of Christ' iv. 14. and rejoice that they were partakers of his sufferings:' ver. 13. He reminds them that his fiery trial' was no strange or surprising event; but what had been foretold, and what they had reason to expect: iv. 12. and that 'the same afflictions were accomplished in their brethren in the world' v. 9. that the time was come (foretold before) that 'judgment must begin at the house of God:' iv. 17.

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Together with these admonitions he gives them assurance of a certain deliverance near at hand. He tells them they were kept by the power of God, through faith, unto salvation, ready to be revealed:' i. 5. that their trial would yield ‹ honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:' ver. 7. He bids them have perfect hope and confidence in the grace,' or deliverance, 'to be brought at the revelation of Christ Jesus:' ver. 13. in the day of visitation:' ii. 12. For the certainty of this deliverance, and 'salvation now ready (or prepared) to be revealed,' and of the share they should have in it, he appeals to the ancient prophets, and the spirit of Christ in them, testifying beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory which should follow' i. 11. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things now reported unto you:' ver. 12. The first scene, the sufferings of Christ, being over; iv. 1. his glory was ready to be revealed, which would bring them exceeding joy,' iv. 13. and be to the destruction of their persecutors, the ungodly and the sin

ners ver. 18.

All these hopes were founded in this, that Christ himself had already received glory and power, and would return in his glory and power to save true believers. Our trust in God is by St. Peter built on this, that God raised him (Christ) from the dead, and gave him glory:' 1 Pet. i. 21. And it is at the revelation of this glory that Christians are taught to expect exceeding joy:' iv. 13. You see now how much weight is laid by St. Peter in his first epistle on the expectation of Christ's coming in the power and glory of God.

It is very probable that the distressed Christians conceived at first great hopes from these assurances given them by an Apostle of Christ, and expected (as it is natural for men in affliction to do) that every day would bring their deliverance with it. But when one year after another passed, and no deliverance came, when the scoffers began to ridicule their hopes, and asked in mockery, where is the promise of his coming?' 2 Pet. iii. 3. 4. their hearts grew sick; and their hopes deferred, instead of being any comfort or support to them, became an addition of grief, and filled them with fears and suspicions, lest they had believed in vain. Many of them, worn out with