AN EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND EPISTLE GENERAL OF ST. PETER. BY THE REV. THOMAS ADAMS, RECTOR OF ST. GREGORY'S, LONDON. A. D. 1633. REVISED AND CORRECTED BY JAMES SHERMAN, MINISTER OF SURREY CHAPEL. LONDON: HENRY G. BOHN, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN. MDCCCXLVIII. Adams TO THE TRULY NOBLE AND WORTHILY HONOURED SIR HENRY MARTEN, KNIGHT, JUDGE OF HIS MAJESTY'S HIGH COURT OF ADMIRALTY, AND DEAN OF THE ARCHES COURT OF CANTERBURY. NOBLE SIR, The merchant that hath once put to sea, and made a prosperous voyage, is hardly withheld from a second adventure. It hath been my forwardness, not without the instinct of our heavenly Pilot, the most blessed Spirit of God, to make one adventure before; for he that publisheth his meditations, may be well called an adventurer. God knows what return hath been made to his own glory; if but little, (and I can hope no less, though I have ever prayed for more,) yet that hath been to me no little comfort. I am now put forth again, upon the same voyage, in hope of better success. For my commission I sue to you; who have no small power, both in the deciding of civil differences, and in the disposing of naval affairs, and matters of such commerce; being known well worthy of that authority in both these ecclesiastical and civil courts of judicature; that you would be pleased to bless my spiritual traffic with your auspicious approbation. I dare not commend my own merchandise; yet, if I had not conceived somewhat better of it than of my former, I durst not have been so ambitious as to present it unto you; of whose clear understanding, deep judgment, and sincere integrity, all good men among us have so full and confessed an experience. Yet besides your own candid disposition, and many real encouragements to me your poor servant, this may a little qualify my boldness, and vindicate me from an over-daring presumption: that my aim is your patronage, not your instruction; not to inform your wisdom, which were to hold a taper to the sun; but to gain your acceptation and fair allowance: that under your honoured name, it may find the more free entertainment, wheresoever it arrives; which (I am humbly persuaded) your goodness will not deny. That noble favour of yours, shining upon these my weak endeavours, will encourage me to publish some maturer thoughts, which otherwise have resolved never to see the light. The sole glory of our most gracious God, the edification and comfort of his church, with the true felicity of yourself and yours, shall be always prayed for, by Your ever honoured Virtue's THOMAS ADAMS. AN EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND EPISTLE GENERAL OF THE HOLY APOSTLE SAINT PETER. CHAPTER I. VERSE 1. SIMON PETER, A SERVANT AND AN APOSTLE OF JESUS CHRIST, TO THEM THAT HAVE OBTAINED LIKE PRECIOUS FAITH WITH US THROUGH THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD AND OUR SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST. THE books of the New Testament have been distinguished into three kinds; Historical, Doctrinal, and Prophetical. 1. Historical; such as contain the birth, life, death, and resurrection of our blessed Saviour, with his divine sermons, and miraculous actions, written by the four evangelists; seconded by the memorable and famous story of the Acts of his Apostles. 2. Doctrinal; such as concern our instruction in the knowledge of Christ, and teach us the way of salvation. These are the holy Epistles of St. Paul, St. James, St. Peter, St. John, and St. Jude. 3. Prophetical; such as foretell the estate and condition of the church militant to the end of the world: of which kind is the Revelation of St. John the Divine. Yet doth not this distinction debar the history from altogether meddling with prophecy, nor the prophetical part from touching upon history, nor the doctrinal part from the use of both the former. So the evangelists, that wrote the story of Christ, do nevertheless abound with heavenly doctrines, containing in them the life-giving of that supreme Bishop of our souls. Neither are they without plentiful predictions; as of the destruction of Jerusalem, and the end of the world. So the holy apostles in their epistles, together with their doctrines, by which they build up the church, do also prophesy of future things: as St. Paul doth of the calling of the Jews, and of the coming of antichrist; and the last chapter of this present epistle hath been aptly called St. Peter's prophecy. Concerning which, there have arisen two ancient doubts, like clouds to obscure the light of truth. Some have questioned the authority of this epistle; others, the author. 1. For those that have contradicted the authority of it, excluding it out of the number of canonical books, Eusebius, (Hist. 3. cap. 25.) Nicephorus, (Lib. 2. Hist. 3. cap. 46.) Hierome, (De Viris Illustr. in Petro,) and Gregory, (Hom. 18. in Ezek.) make mention of them. They tell us of some such quarrellers; they tell us not their names: such there were, but who they were they do not say. Therefore, let their opinion be buried in the dust | with them; for this book lives while they are dead. 2. For the author: some have denied it to be St. Peter's; and to this error the supposed diversity of the style hath induced them. As if the same author might not diversify his style upon due occasion, according to the difference of the matter or argument upon which, or difference of the person to whom, he writes. The Epistle to the Hebrews is of a more accurate style than St. Paul's other epistles; yet by a universal consent it is agreed upon to be St. Paul's. Certainly the author of this must be some grand impostor, if he were not one of those three apostles that were present at Christ's transfiguration upon the mount, Matt. xvii. 1, where he solemnly professeth himself to have been. The three witnesses of Christ's clarification there, were Peter, and James, and John: no man affirms James or John to be the author of this epistle, therefore it must be Peter. And if he were not the author of it, with what impudence should another secretary call himself, "Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ!" To allege that Paul, writing to the Galatians, doth plainly testify, that he withstood Peter to the face, and that he was to be blamed, Gal. ii. 11, therefore it is not likely that Peter would write so fair an encomium of Paul, 2 Pet. iii. 15; such critics are far from the sanctified spirit of an apostle; for they, without respect for their private affections, or particular praises, sought only the truth of the gospel, and the glory of their Master Jesus Christ. The majesty of the Holy Ghost appears in every line of it, therefore the authority is indubitate. The name prefixed warrants it to be St. Peter's, therefore we cannot deny the author. It remains only that we directly come to the matter: in which proceeding, the Spirit of illumination direct me to write, and the Spirit of sanctification direct you to read; that all of us, believing and living according to the holy doctrine delivered, the name of God may be glorified, and our dear souls everlastingly saved, through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. |