Commentaires bibliques

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:

A servant — The pope, who will needs title himself, A servant of servants, is herein the successor not of Peter, but of cursed Ham. He stamps in his coin, that nation and country that will not serve thee shall be rooted out, and so exposes his putid hypocrisy.

Like precious faith — Precious as gold tried in the fire; that maketh rich, Revelation 3:18 . And like precious (though of different degrees) in regard of, 1. The Author, God. 2. The object, Christ. 3. The means of working it, the Spirit and Word. 4. The end of it, salvation. 5. The essential property of it, of handfasting us to Christ. A child may hold a ring in his hand, as well though not as fast as a man. Let it be our care to be faithful in weakness, though weak in faith: let that faith we have be right, be of price, though not of so great price, though not like precious to such and such eminent believers. Suppose a simple man should get a stone and strike fire with it, and thence conclude it a precious stone; why, every flint or ordinary stone will do that. So to think one hath precious faith because he can be sober, just, chaste, liberal, …; why, ordinary heathens can do this: a man may be undone by buying a false commodity at an unreasonable rate.

Through the righteousness of God — i.e. of Christ; and it is so called, not because it is the righteousness of the Godhead, but of him that is God.

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Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,

Through the knowledge — There is not a new notion, or a further enlargement of saving knowledge, but it brings some grace and peace with it. All the grace that a man hath, it passeth through the understanding; and the difference of stature in Christianity grows from different degrees of knowledge. "Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ," John 1:17 .

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According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

To glory and virtue — To glory as the end, to virtue as the means. The very heathens made their passage to the temple of honour through the temple of virtue. Do worthily, and be famous, Ruth 4:11 .

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Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Exceeding great and precious — Every precious stone hath an egregious virtue in it; so hath every promise. The promises, saith Cardan, are a precious book, every leaf drops myrrh and mercy. The weak Christian cannot open, read, apply it; Christ can, and will for him.

That by these ye might be partakers — As the sun when it applies its beams to a filthy disposed matter, and stays upon it, begins to beget life and motion, and makes a living creature; so do the promises applied to the heart make a new creature. See2 Corinthians 3:6; 2 Corinthians 3:6 .

Of the divine nature — That is, of those divine qualities, called elsewhere "the image of God, the life of God," …, whereby we resemble God, not only as a picture doth a man in outward lineaments, but as the child doth his father in countenance and conditions. It was no absurd speech of him that said, That the high parts that are seen in heroic persons, do plainly show that here is a God. Neither can I here but insert the saying of another, Well may grace be called the divine nature; for as God brings light out of darkness, comfort out of sorrow, riches out of poverty, and glory out of shame; so doth grace turn the dirt of disgrace into gold. As Moses’ hand, it turns a serpent into a rod. In fine, to be made partaker of the divine nature, noteth two things, saith a reverend man: 1. A fellowship with God in his holiness; the purity which is eminently and infinitely in God’s most holy nature, is formally of secundum modum creaturae, fashioned in us. 2. A fellowship with God in his blessedness, viz. in the beatific vision and brightness of glory. (Dr Reynolds.)

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And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;

And besides this — q.d. As God hath given you all things pertaining to life and godliness, and hath granted you exceeding great and precious promises, so must you reciprocate, by giving all diligence, or making all haste, that ye be not taken with your task undone. Acti agamus.

Add to your faith — Faith is the foundation of the following graces; indeed they are all in faith radically. Every grace is but faith exercised. To faith must be added virtue, i.e. holy conversation; lest we be counted and called Solifidians. It was the counsel of Francis Spira to those about him, Learn all of me, to take heed of severing faith and obedience. I taught justification by faith, but neglected obedience; therefore is this befallen me.

And to virtue, knowledge — For the regulating of our obedience, that we go not blindling to work, that we may perform a reasonable or intelligible service. "For without knowledge the mind is not good; and he that (not understanding his way) hasteth with his feet, sinneth," Proverbs 19:2 ; the faster he runs, the further he is out. The Samaritans’ service was rejected, because they worshipped they knew not what. The Romans were full of goodness, because full of knowledge, Romans 15:14 .

Add — Gr. επεχορηγησατε , Link them hand in hand, as virgins in a dance. Or, provide yourselves of this rich furniture; one grace strengtheneth another, as stones do in an arch.

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And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;

And to knowledge, temperance — That ye be wise to sobriety, not curiously searching into those things whereof ye can neither have proof nor profit. Some are as wise as Galileo, who used telescope to discover mountains on the moon; and lest they should not be reputed to know something unknown to others, they profess skill beyond the periphery of possible knowledge.

And to temperance, patience — Those that will be temperate, as said before, and not pass the bounds of sobriety in searching after curiosities, shall be looked upon by the wits of the world as dull fellows (Mr Perkins was esteemed by Mr Bolton before his conversion, a dry preacher, …), and therefore they have need of patience. Only they must add to their

Patience, godliness — In the power of it; not suffering themselves to be mocked out of their religion. Moderation in this case is but mopishness. And though in our own cause we must show all longsufferance, yet when God’s glory is concerned, it is our duty to be blessedly blown up with zeal for his name, as Moses was at the sight of the golden calf; and as Zuingllus told Servetus, taxing him for his sharp invectives against him: In other things, saith he, I can bear as much as another; but in case of God’s dishonour, I have no patience.

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And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

And to godliness, brotherly kindness — Zeal for God should eat us up, but not eat up our love to God’s people. Fire purgeth gold, but burneth it not; the fire of zeal may be warming, comforting, not scalding or scorching. Moses was angry with the people, but prayed for them. Christ was angry with the Pharisees, but grieved also for the hardness of their hearts, Mark 3:5 .

And to brotherly kindness, … — Love we must all men, but especially the family of faith; as our Saviour loved the young man, but not so as he did Lazarus, Mark 10:21 ; John 11:3 .

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For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

If these things be in you — What God doth for us, he doth by grace in us. And it is the growing Christian that is the assured Christian. While we are yet adding to every heap, we shall be both aetuosi et fructuosi; and so get more abundant entrance, and farther into the kingdom of Christ.

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