John Trapp on 2 Peter 3

CHAP. III. Verſe 1. This ſecond Epiſtle]

SO muſt Miniſters with one Sermon peg in another: and never ceaſe beating and repeating the ſame point, ſaith S. Aug de doct. Chriſtian. Auguſtine, till they perceive by the geſture and countenance of the hearers, that they underſtand it, and are affected with it.

I ſtirre up] Gr. I rouſe you, who perhaps are nodding with the wiſe virgins, Mat. 25.5. [non-Latin text not transcribed].

Your pare mindes] Gr. Pure as the Sun. Chryſoſtome ſaith of ſome in his time that they were ipſo coelo puriores, Hom. 55. in Math. more pure then the viſible heavens: and that they were more like angels then mortals.

Verſe 2. Mindfull of the words] See the Note on 1 Cor. 15.2. Run to this armory of the Scriptures for weapons againſt ſeducers and epicures.

Verſe 3. Scoffers] Thoſe worſt kinde of ſinners, Pſal. 1.1. thoſe abjects of the people, Pſal. 35.15. thoſe Pests, [non-Latin text not transcribed]. as the Septuagint render them, Pſal. 1.1. thoſe Atheiſts that jear when they ſhould fear, and put farre away the evil day, that make no more matter of Gods direfull and dreadfull menaces, then Leviathan doth of a ſword, he laugeth at the ſhaking of a ſpear, Job 41.29.

Verſe 4. Where is the promiſe, &c.] The ſleeping of vengeance cauſeth the over-flow of ſin (the ſinner thinks himſelf hail-fellow with God, Pſal 50.21.) and the overflow of the ſinne cauſeth the awakening of vengeance.

Verſe 5. Willingly ignorant of] A carnall heart is not willing to know what it ſhould do, leſt it ſhould do what it would not, Act. 28.27.

That by the word of God] And that by the ſame word again they may as ſoon be diſſolved, yea reduced to their firſt originall, Nothing. A learned man propoundeth this queſtion, How did the Lord imploy himſelf before the world? And his anſwer is this,D. Preſton of Gods attrib. p. 34. A thouſand years to him are but as one day, and one day as a thouſand years. Again, Who knoweth (ſaith he) what the Lord hath done? Indeed he made but one world to out knowledge: but who knoweth what he did before, and what he will do after? Thus he.

And the earth ſtanding, &c.] God hath founded the earth upon the ſeas, and eſtabliſhed it upon the flouds, Pſal. 24.2. This, Ariſtotle reckons among the wonders in nature, and well he may. God hath ſet the ſolid earth upon the liquid waters for our conveniency, Pſal. Lib. de mirabil. 104.6 7.

Verſe 6. Being overflowed with water] Therefore that is not altogether true, that all things continue as they were at firſt, as the ſcoffers affirmed, ver. 4.

Verſe 7. Reſerved unto fire] The old world was deſtroied with water, Propter ardorem libidinis for the beat of their luſt, ſaith Ludolphus: the world that is now ſhall be deſtroied with fire, Propter teporem charitatis, for their want of love.

Verſe 8. One day is with the Lord, &c.] Nullum tempus occurrit regi, How much leſſe to the Ancient of daies? In God there is no motion or flux; therefore a thouſand years to him are but as one day.

Verſe 9. Not willing that any ſhould periſh] See the Note on 1 Tim. 2.4.

Verſe 10. The heavens ſhall paſſe. &c.] The very viſible heavens are defiled with mens ſins, Revel. 18.5. and muſt therefore be purged by fire; as the veſſel that held the ſin-offering, was in the time of the law.

Shall be burnt up] This the very Heathens knew in part, as appears by the writings of Lueratius, Cicere de natura Deorum, and Ovids Metam. lib. 1.

Verſe 11. What manner of men] Even to admiration, Quales & quanti, as the word ſignifies, Mar 13.1. How accurate, [non-Latin text not transcribed]. and how elevate above the ordinary ſtrain!

Verſe 12. Looking for] As Siſera's mother looked out at a window, and expecting the return of her ſonne, ſaid, Why are his charriots ſo long a coming? So ſhould we look up and long for Chriſts coming in the clouds, thoſe charriots that carried him up, and ſhall bring him back again.

The heavens being on fire. &c.] A far greater fire then that at Conſtantinople, Blnnts voiage. where 7000 houſes are ſaid to have been on fire at once, an. Dom. 1633.

And the elements ſhall melt,] And fall like ſcalding lead, or burning bell-metall on the heads of the wicked, who ſhall give a terrible account with the world all on fire about their ears. Whether this ſhall fall out in the year 1657. (as ſome conjecture, becauſe in the year of the world, 1657.Alſted. Chr[illegible: 2 letters]oi. the old world drowned, and becauſe the numerall letters in MƲnDI ConfLagratiIo, Make up the ſame number) I have nothing to affirm. Sure it is, the Saints ſhall take no hurt at all by this laſt fire, but a great deal of benefit. Methodius writeth that Pyragnus (a certain plant ſo called) grows green, and flouriſhes in the midſt of the flames of burning Olympus, as much as if it grew by the banks of a pleaſant river. And of this he ſaith, that himſelf was an eye-witneſſe. Praeclarum ſanè noviſſimi diei indicium & documentum.

Verſe 13. According to his promiſe] Which is good ſure-hold. For he paies not his promiſes with fair words, as Sextorius did, but with reall performances.

Verſe 14. That ye may be found of him] Watching, working, well-doing. See the Note on Mat. 24 43, 44.

Verſe 15. That the long-ſuffering, &c.] Rom. 2.4. which ſentence Peter picks out of Pauls epiſtles, as one of the choiſeſt, and urgeth it here.

Even as our beloved brother, &c.] Ingenium eſt profiteri per quos profeceris, ſaith Pliny. S. Peter makes honourable mention of S. Paul: ſo Ezekiel of his contemporary Daniel.

Verſe 16. Wreſt as they doe. &c.] When we ſtrive to give unto to the Scripture, and not to receive from it the ſenſe: when we factiouſly contend to faſten our conceits on God, like the harlot, take our dead and putrified fancies, and lay them in the boſome of the Scriptures, as of a mother, when we compell them to go two miles, which of themſelves would go but one, when we put words into the mouths of theſe oracles by miſ-inferences or miſ▪applications, then are we guilty of this ſin of wreſting the Scriptures.Cadem Scripturarum faci [illegible: 2 letters]s. Tertullian ſpeaketh of ſome that murther the Scriptures to ſerve their own purpoſes.

Verſe 17. Fall] As leaves fall from the trees in Autumn.

Verſe 18. But grow] In firmneſſe, in fineneſſ[illegible: 1 letter] at leaſt, as an apple doth in mellowneſſe: as Oaks grow more ſlowly then willows and bulruſhes, yet more ſolidly, and in the end to a greater bulk and bignes.