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SECOND EPISTLE OF PETER.

II. PETER I.

1349.-BROTHERLY KINDNESS.

2 Peter i. 7.-"Brotherly kindness."

Illustrative.-Two fishermen were mending their nets on board their vessel on one of the lakes in the interior of Argyleshire, at a considerable distance from the shore, when a sudden squall upset their boat. One of them could not swim, and the only oar which floated was caught by him that could swim. His sinking companion cried, "Ah, my poor wife and children, they must starve now!" “Save yourself, I will risk my life for their sakes!" said the other, thrusting the oar beneath the arms of the drowning man. He committed himself instantly to the deep, in danger of perishing for the safety of his companion. That moment the boat struck the bottom, and started the other oar by their side, and thus both were enabled to keep afloat till they were picked up.

Brotherhood of Man.-You recognise in every nation, in every tribe your fellow-men, your brethren. Go to Egypt, and stand among the sphinxes, the pyramids, the old and wondrous temples, and you are a stranger in a strange land, and it seems scarcely less than a ghastly dream. Go farther East; behold the ruined architecture, revive the manners and customs of the Syrian and Babylonian empires, and you seem still among a strange people. If they should rise and speak to you, their tongues would be as strange to you as yours would be to them. But let a maiden speak her love, and instantly you know that voice. The works that their hands wrought are wondrous. The affections that throb in their hearts are familiar. The things that they live for outwardly -see how widely you are separated from these! How different are their laws, their institutions, and their methods of commerce from ours! How strange to us are their political economy and their ecclesiastical system! Touch that which man fashioned and formed, and man is disjointed, and split apart by rivers, and mountains, and times, and ages; but touch the human heart, and let that speak, and all men rise up and say, "That voice is my voice." Reach but the feeling of love, and every

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human being says, "It is my brother; it is my sister." Strike those chords that bring out the experience of grief, and every man wails with the hoary wailers of antiquity. Man is not a unit by virtue of the fruits of his intellect and the works of his hand, but by virtue of those eternal identities of sentiment and affection which are common to all men in all nations and ages.-BEECHER.

1350.-MAKING OUR CALLING SURE.

2 Peter i. 10.-"Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure; for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall." [R.V.] 1 The more. Illustrative.-I have read somewhere-I think it was of Bonaventura —that in one of his sermons he described himself as in a dream, beholding a vast valley of rocks covered with workers, or those who were supposed to be working; some wrought, and as they wrought they shaped pieces of stone. Every piece of stone was shaped to exactly the same proportions, squared to exactly the same shape. "And I saw," said the dreamer, "and behold while they wrought, invisible white-winged angels stood by, and they took each piece of stone, and bare it, and built of them a palace in the fair kingdoms among the mansions of light. And I noticed others who were idle, lying sleeping in the valley of rocks; but I noticed that invisible, dark, living spirits were by them while they slept, not to receive the hewn stones, but themselves excavating, and shaping, and bearing them away, to build homes in the dark vaults of lost beings. Then I knew that these stones were hours. And I knew that our hours are building our future eternal homes; that as they are passed here, so shall we be for ever."-HOOD's Dark Sayings on a Harp.

You have heard of the senator relating to his son the account of the book containing the names of illustrious members of the Commonwealth. The son desired to see the outside. It was glorious to look upon. "Oh, let me open it," said the son. "Nay," said the father, "it's known only to the council." Then said the son, "Tell me if my name is there." “And that,” said the father, "is a secret known only to the council, and it cannot be divulged." Then he desired to know for what achievements the names were inscribed in that book. So the father told him; and related to him the achievements and noble deeds by which they had eternized their names. "Such," said he, "are written, and none but such are written, in the book." "And will my name be there?" said the son. "I cannot tell thee," said the father; "if thy deeds are like theirs, thou shalt be written in the book; if not, thou shalt not be written.' And then the son consulted with himself, and he found that his whole

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deeds were playing, and singing, and drinking, and amusing himself; and he found this was not noble, nor temperate, nor valiant. And as he could not read, as yet, his name, he determined to "make his calling and election sure." And thus "by patient continuance in well-doing," the end is crowned with glory, honour, immortality, and eternal life-REV. E. P. HOOD.

Among the different games and races at Athens there was one in which they carried a burning torch in their hand. If they arrived to the end without its being extinguished, they obtained the prize. Thus they only shall be saved, says the Saviour, who endure to the end. It is not the man who makes a splendid profession for a season-it is not the man who appears to carry the torch of truth only a part of the way-that shall be crowned, but he who perseveres, and whose lamp is trimmed, and who holds fast his confidence and the rejoicing of his hope unto the end. Yet, alas! how many seem to bid fair for a season, but in time of temptation fall away. Epictetus tells of a gentleman returning from banishment, who, in his journey towards home, called at his house, and told a sad story of an imprudent life, the greater part of which being now spent, he was resolved for the future to live philosophically-engage in no business, be candidate for no employment, not to go to court, nor to salute Cæsar with ambitious attendances, but to study, and worship the gods, and die willingly, when nature or necessity called him. Just, however, as he was entering his door, letters from Cæsar met him, and invited him to court; where, alas! he forgot all his promises, which were warm upon his lips, grew pompous, secular, and ambitious, and gave the gods thanks for his preferment. Thus many form resolutions in their own strength, make for a season some pretensions to seriousness, but act like the children of Ephraim, who, though armed and carrying bows, yet turned back in the day of battle.-BUCK.

1351. THE ABUNDANT ENTRANCE.

2 Peter I. 11.-"For so an entrance shall be 'ministered unto you abundantly Into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." [R.V.] Richly supplied.

Illustrative.-We may take an illustration from a vessel returning after a long voyage, and being received and welcomed by expectant friends. She has been, let us suppose, absent for years,-has been toiling and trafficking in every sea,-touching at the ports and trading in the markets of many lands: she is approaching at last her "desired haven," the harbour from which she set out, whence loving thoughts went with her as she started on her perilous way, and where anxious hearts are now wishing

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and waiting for her return. She is descried in the distance; the news spreads; all is excitement; multitudes assemble; pier and quay, beach and bank, are crowded with spectators, as the little craft pushes on, and every moment nears her destination. There she is !-worn and weatherbeaten, it is true, covered with the indications of sore travel and long service, and with many signs of her having encountered the battle and the breeze. But all is safe! Her goodly freight is secure and uninjured; her profits have been large; the merchandise she brings is both rare and rich. She is coming along over a sunny sea, leaping and dancing as if she were alive. Her crew are on the deck, and with straining eyes and palpitating hearts are looking towards the shore. A soft wind swells the sails; the blue heavens are bending over the barque, as if smiling on her course, while the very waves seem to run before her, turning themselves about with conscious joy, clapping their hands, and murmuring a welcome! How she bounds forward! She is over the bar! She is gliding now in smooth water, is passing into port, and is preparing to moor and to drop her anchor for the last time! While she does so there comes a shout from the assembled spectators-the crowds that witness and welcome her approach-loud as thunder, musical as the sea! Gladness and greeting are on every hand. Eloquent voices fill the air. The vessel has received an abundant entrance"; her crew have been met with sympathetic congratulations, are surrounded by eager and glad friends, hailed with enthusiasm, embraced with rapture, and accompanied to their home with shouting and songs!-REV. T. BINNEY.

Expository. The phrase "an entrance shall be ministered" is an expressive and a striking one. What can be the meaning of it? The English word supplying no satisfactory answer to this question, we naturally turn to the word employed in the original, and by this we are unequivocally directed to a usage which was anciently prevalent on the Greek stage.

Without pretending to any extensive knowledge of theatrical amusements as they are conducted among ourselves, it may, I suppose, be safely observed that the scenery and the performers tell the whole story of the plot, and that an acted drama has not now any auxiliary explanation. It was not so in ancient Greece. There, besides the scenery and the actors, was placed at the side of the stage a small body of persons who took no part in the play, but at various points of its progress recited, or sang, a few sentences auxiliary to it; either announcing persons of distinction, explaining some intended action, or bewailing some tragical Occurrence. This group of persons was called the chorus, and upon this word chorus is distinctly formed the verb which is here employed by the apostle when he says "an entrance shall be ministered” into the heavenly kingdom.

TRADITION OF PETER'S DEATH.

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One critical observation only requires to be made. At different periods of Grecian history the word to which I am referring appears to have had different significations. More anciently, and primarily, the word

Xopnyέw signified to lead, or conduct the chorus, while less ancient writers employ it to denote one who provided the expenses of the chorus. I hold myself quite at liberty to take the more ancient, and the undoubtedly primary meaning of the word, as the only one which is at all suitable to the apostle's purpose. And his meaning cannot, I think, be less than this; that as, in a dramatic performance, persons of distinction were honourably introduced by the chorus, so the entrance of a saint into heaven shall be "ministered," or chorused. It shall not be the mere addition of one to the number of its inhabitants, not an obscure or unnoticed admission, as merely granted, but an entrance announced with gladness and accompanied with honour.

To proceed yet a step further, the apostle tells us that to some "an entrance shall be ministered abundantly."

Keeping in view the general idea before us, the conception suggested by this not very expressive word, " abundantly," it is not difficult to realize. State pageants vary in their degrees of splendour. Always befitting the royal dignity, on some occasions, as when the personage introduced is of extraordinary rank, they are more especially gorgeous, every contrivance of courtly ingenuity being put into requisition to make the ceremony correspond with the dignity of the one party, and to express the regard of the other. In such a case an introduction may be said-to take up the phraseology of the text-to be "ministered abundantly."

And the idea conveyed to us cannot be less than this, that among believers in Jesus there are some whose entrance into heaven shall be more especially honourable-whatever those honours may be, of which all that can be said is that the eye hath not seen them, the ear hath not heard them, neither hath the heart of man conceived them.-REV. JOHN HOWARD HINTON, M.A.

1352.-TRADITION OF PETER'S DEATH.

2 Peter i. 14.-" Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle." —[R.V.] "The putting off of my tabernacle cometh swiftly."

Illustrative.—It is assumed in the Roman tradition that Paul and Peter worked together harmoniously at Rome for some time, and that both suffered martyrdom when Nero persecuted the Christians as the assumed authors of the great fire in the Imperial city.

"The disciples urged Peter to flee, and he left the city by the Appian Way. A little distance beyond the Porta Capena (now the Porta S. Sebastiano), the modern Church known as 'Domine quo vadis?' recordə

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