' &c. his throne like the fiery flame, ' his wheels as burning fire. A fiery ' stream issued and came forth from before him, &c. and ten thou' sand times ten thousand stood be'fore him. I beheld till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, ' and given to the burning flame." The fuel for this fire, (viz. the body of the fourth beast,) is demonstration enough, to us of these last times, when this burning shall be. We will add but one place more, viz. Malachi iv, 1.-" For behold the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and 'all that do wickedly, shall be stub. 'ble, and the day cometh that shall 'burn them up, &c. and shall leave ' them neither root nor branch."

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We must also expound this text according to some ancient promise, which God hath made by his prophets, touching this estate of which we speak. This rule is evident also in v. 13.-" Nevertheless we according to his promise, look for new heavens, and a new earth," &c. But before St. Peter's time, we have no promise of this new hea.. vens and new earth, except that in Isaiah 1xv, 17; and lxvi, 22, &c: in which places, the Lord promises, that he will create and make new heavens and a new earth, &c." The circumstances thereunto annexed, (as, dwelling on earth, rejoicing at Jerusalem, with external worship of God from new moon to new moon, &c.) do invincibly prove, that this state can signif no other than a glorious state on earth. Thus the discourse of Peter concerning this

burning must belong to the same times as those referred to by the Prophets.

It must also be noted carefully, that our Apostle mainly intends, in this chapter, a parallel between the destruction of the old world by water, and of this world by fire, as to the degree of that destruction: viz, that as then, all was not annihilated, (neither all men, nor all creatures ;) so neither will they be at this destruction by fire. This part of the rule is so plain in the context, that I need not enlarge. For though the Apostle uses a strong word, (v. 6) touching the destruction of the old world; (viz. Απωλετο perished;) yet we know by the history of Genesis, that that perishing was chiefly of ungodly men; and that after the flood the world was renewed and fresh peopled. So our Apostle, speaking (v. 7) of reserving these heavens and this earth unto fire, saith distinctly, it is for the perdition of ungodly men : and after this (v. 13) there shall be a "new heaven and a new earth, wherein shall inhabit righteousness," which must of necessity signify righteous And as in the deluge of water on the old world, the starry heavens suffered not at all; so, in the destruction by fire, those starry heavens are not by Peter included in the word heavens, used in this chapter. For the Apostle tells us, (v. 13) that the catastrophe and intent of this fiery destruction is, to make new heavens and a new earth, wherein should dwell righteousness :* but in the starry heavens there dwells no

men.

So

unrighteousness; therefore these heavens cannot be they that are here meant.

It must be further observed, that though there be mention in verse 7, of the day of judgement; yet the Apostle means not the ultimate judgement, -the great day of judgement, when all the deceased wicked shall be raised, and eternally judged. For he does not say, in the language he wrote, την ἡμεραν, or της κρίσεως, -the day, or day of the judgement; but ἡμεραν κρισεως, a day of judgement," or a day of judging, as the succeeding copulative (and) and the next word (perdition) do strongly intimate. The whole together would fairly run thus: The heavens and earth that now are, &c. are reserved unto fire at a day of judging and destroying ungodly men, &c. We decline not to name the entrance into this glorious estate, a day of judgement, for we acknowledge it to be such a day, wherein all open and obstinate ungodly men then alive shall be destroyed, and all the deceased saints shall be raised; who, with all the saints then found alive on earth (being changed) shall be made happy in soul and body. But I would have the Reader understand, that St. Peter does not here intend the ultimate and great day of judgement; since he clearly tells us, that after this day of firing these heavens and earth, there shall follow, not only new heavens, but a new earth also: and intimates (verse 8,) that the space of the continuance between this first judgement, which I but now mentioned, and the last judgement, is a day of a thousand years; as does also St. John, Rev. x, 4, compared with verse 7, &c. The chief difficulty with some in regard to this text, is the word

σοιχεια (verse 10.) which our translators interpret 'elements.' But it cannot in this place (nor in divers others) signify those physical things commonly called elements, viz. fire, air, water, earth. For, first, the world is here divided into heaven and earth, (which include at least three of them-earth, water and air;) and yet soιχεια elements are distinguished from them both : "The heavens shall pass away with a great noise, the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth ALSO shall be burnt (note the distinction of this word also) and the works that are therein. The mode likewise by which all shall be affected is also distinguished: the heavens shall pass away with a noise, the elements shall melt with fervent heat, and the earth, &c. shall be burnt. As for the fourth element, viz. fire, that is also clearly distinguished from the elements to be burned, being that which is to burn them.

Secondly, the heavens and the elements are set in contradistinction to the earth and the works that are therein. Therefore, as works signify things on the earth, not the earth itself; so elements must signify the things under the starry heaven, or in the airy heaven, not the air itself. The word σοιχεια, here rendered elements, must therefore signify the furniture belonging to the heaven of the air; as the works on earth signify the building and whole furniture of creatures belonging to the earth, called in Scripture "the host of them."a To prove this to be the true meaning of the Apostle, (who, being a Hebrew, would take such Greek words as would suit the Hebrew expressions) note thatצ tsaba signifies to stand or march in a military posture; and so corres

Joel ii, 25.

this the word πυρόμενοι harmoniously agrees: for when the Psalmist several times uses צרף to refine, (as Ps. xii, 6.) the Septuagint expresses it by πυροω. And whence indeed is our word pure, but of the Latin purus? and whence is the Latin purus, but of the Greek πυρ or fire ?

But though the starry heavens shall not be touched with this fire; yet, by the refining of the airy heaven, the aspect of the starry heavens may be more clarified to our sight. All the stars and planets may appear more glorious, as transmitting their beams througha purer medium; so that the heavens may seem as a new light, and the world as a new thing. And in regard to those wicked spirits, mentioned Eph. vi, 12, which we observed are part of the elements or hosts of this lower heaven; the efficacy of the fire shall not reach their substance, so as to burn them; yet shall they so far suffer by this fire, as to be cast down from those higher mansions, and confined in some lower place. Thus St. Jude intimates, - " The angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own (or proper) habitation, he hath reserved to be boundd with everlasting chains of darkness, at the judgement of the great day." (v. 6.)

The time when this fire shall be kindled is shown by comparing v. 13

with v. 7, 8; viz. that whereas the thousand years of the Church's restauration, is called there one day, and a day of judgement; this fire is kindled in the beginning of that day, in order to make it also a day of ruining judgement to the obstinate wicked; as it will be also a happy rewarding judgement on them that

believe, when the earth is purified. For most evidently the Apostle there makes this glorious time to follow that great burning, and this burning to precede that; or he needed not to have inserted so emphatically his nevertheless'-to prevent mistakings or misgivings of heart in them that hope for a glorious state of the Church on earth, according to the tenor of all the prophecies. (Compare Rev. xix, 3, with xx, 1, 2, &c.) And why else does the Apostle tell us of new heavens and a new earth, and such as wherein should dwell righteousness? and how shall they be so new, and a habitation of such righteousness, but because this fire shall so purge them of their dross, and make them

new.

I have given the most literal, and therefore the most congruous sense of this text: for according to the old rule, we are not to seek an allegorical interpretation, when a plain and literal one is at hand. Our Lord indeed speaks in hyperbolical language in Matt. xxiv, 29 in relation to the heavenly bodies; because literally the stars cannot fall from heaven, having no space to fall to big enough to receive them. And in such passages as Isaiah li, 15-19; and xxxiv, 2-5; Jer. iv, 23; Hab. ii, 6; there is evidence from the context that the mention of the heavens is figurative. And even were we to account these expressions in Peter

'be, that they may be preserved during the conflagration of the ' earth, and the works thereof? (2 Peter iii, 10.) that as Noah 'and his family were preserved 'from the deluge, by being lifted up above the waters in the ark; so should the saints at the conflagration, be lifted up in the 'clouds, unto their ark Christ, ' to be preserved there from the

deluge of fire, wherein the wick'ed shall be consumed." And the most learned of the Jews hold an opinion agreeing with this, derived from Elias, a Jewish doctor, who lived under the second temple. He says: "When the blessed God ' shall renew this world; 'when the

lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men 'shall be bowed down, and the 'Lord alone shall be exalted;' then

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(as Isaiah xl, 3) 'they that wait 'for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with

wings as eagles;' or like as eagles ' do on their wings. For it is said, 'Psalm xlvi, 2, 'Therefore shall

we not fear, when the earth shall 'be changed.”

The Apostle concludes with instruction to the godly; for unto such he expressly bends his speech, calling them beloved. So that here, we that believe have a morsel of importance to chew; that though we have certainly the truth of saving grace, and an apostle to assure us thereof, yet the consideration of the conflagration of the world and the renovation of it for our use, is of great consequence to As if the Apostle should say: Ye that have truth of grace, though ye cannot be damned, yet it is not sufficient to dismiss all care from your heads, nor fear out of your