Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, (what things? why, that there are some who wrest the scriptures unto their own destruction) beware, lest ye also being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness. 2 Pet. iii, 17. This epistle of Peter seems to be addressed to that portion of the church that should be living in the last days when that class of individuals should be manifested designated by the apostle as scoffers walking after their own lusts, saying Where is the promise of his coming, for since the fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. These scriptures that prove beyond a doubt that Christ is soon coming in the clouds of heaven to raise the righteous dead and to change the righteous living, 1 Thess. iv, 13-18, 1 Cor. xv, 51-56, and take them with him to his Father’s house, in heaven, that where he is they may be also, John xiv, 1-3, are wrested from their proper meaning by those scoffers, as are also other scriptures. But this, says the apostle, they do unto their own destruction. Then follows the apostle’s warning: Ye, therefore beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also being led away with the error of the wicked fall from your own steadfastness. In close connection with this warning against the scoffers and wresters of the Scriptures is a command to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Mark the manner in which Peter enjoins this command upon the followers of our Lord: he has just been discoursing upon the day of the Lord, in which the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. In the verses preceding he has given us among the signs that should usher in this dreadful day of the Lord, That there should come in these last days scoffers walking after their own lusts, and saying where is the promise of his coming? This scripture is fulfilled. The land is filled with scoffers. But says one, were there not always those that would scoff at the religion of Jesus? Yes; but the apostle tells us that these scoffers were to be manifested in the last days; and as there can be no days later than the last days we think that these signs apply exclusively to these days, from the fact that these scoffers scoff at the coming of Christ, saying Where is the promise of his coming? It is not at all likely that people would scoff at the coming of Christ if there was no one preaching that he was coming. But the coming of Christ has been preached publicly before the world since A. D. 1831, by Wm. Miller and his coadjutors. They believed and preached that Christ was coming in 1844, but they were disappointed in their expectations; and this disappointment drew out that class of individuals called by Peter, scoffers, who say, Where is the promise of his coming? They saw, as they supposed, a complete failure in the prophetic periods. The day passed and Christ did not come; and since that time the scoffers’ cry has been ringing through the land, Where is the promise of his coming, little thinking that their scoffing cry is a sure sign of his speedy coming. Go where you will and this song of the scoffer salutes your ear, especially if you make mention of the coming of Christ; therefore according to this prediction of Peter, The day of the Lord is just upon us, and in view of the coming of this dreadful and terrible day when the land will be swept of its inhabitants by the bosom of destruction, Peter says, Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Grace is defined to be, unmerited favor of God; religious affection. Then we should grow in grace (religious affection) toward God and our fellow men. Having proved that this command, to grow in grace, is most especially enjoined upon us at the present day, we will now notice it more particularly. We can all see at a glance the necessity of a continual growth in grace. Some think that when they experience a change of heart, and feel that Jesus is near and dear to them, and that God for Christ’s sake has forgiven them, that this is all they need and settle down contented with this when their work is but just begun. Those who indulge in such thoughts as these and settle down thus, had better beware, and put them far from them at once; for it is a device of Satan. He thinks that when one has been brought to see his sinful ways and has fled to Jesus for refuge and feels that his sins are forgiven, if he can step in and make him think that his work is done, that he has got all he needs, he will accomplish his purpose; and that individual will begin to grow lukewarm and cold; and in a little while will forget Jesus, and what the Lord has done for him, and get back in the world darker than ever, and his latter end will be worse than the beginning. A person that experiences a change of heart, and sets out to run the Christian race, resembles a person in a boat placed upon a rapid stream with a foaming cataract below, and a calm and peaceful harbor above. If he continues to ply his oars and brave the opposing current, however slow may be his progress at first, the farther he goes from the falls below him the less violent will be the current, the task will grow easier, his work lighter, till at last he will gain the victory and enter the long looked for harbor and be at rest; when on the other hand, if he through weariness should lay down his oars, and cease to stem the current, his boat would be drawn down the stream till at last he would be carried over the abyss and "dashed to pieces" on the rocks beneath. So it is with those who set out in the Christian race: they must not stop at the beginning, but must "follow on to know the Lord." They must continue to grow in grace; then he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth. Then let us follow on to know him, by running the race that is set before us with patience, that, after having done the will of God, we may receive the promise. We have many imperfections at first, many bywords that must be laid aside, many habits that are destructive to our best interests which must be forsaken; our natures must be curbed, the unnatural appetites that we have acquired must be subdued, and in short we must lead self-denying lives. Self must be humbled and laid in the dust. We must become a new creature. If any should lay down their armor and cease to fight as soon as they had taken it up, how many of the aforesaid evils would be overcome? What then would be the result if they did not overcome? They would be unprofitable servants and cast out into outer darkness. The promise is, "To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God." Rev. ii, 7. "Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out, and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the City of my God which is New Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God and I will write upon him my new name." Let us then strive to grow in grace, and overcome, that we may inherit those blessings. In order to grow in grace, our minds must be continually dwelling upon the great truths contained in God’s word; and that those truths may have a salutary effect upon us, we must become praying Christians. Luke xviii, 1. A continual growth in grace will wean us from the world and the things in the world and draw us nearer to the bleeding side of Jesus; and in the same proportion that we renounce the spirit of the world and the carnal mind, we shall receive the Spirit of Christ and a spiritual mind, which to have, says Paul, is life and peace. Rom. viii, 6. To grow in grace we must bring our wills into subjection to the will of God, that the carnal mind may be destroyed; "because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." "So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." Rom. viii, 7, 8. "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace."