our witness with lives corresponding, some who
are wholly untouched by a preacher's eloquence and controversialists'
arguments, will probably be led by our attestation to make the
experiment for themselves. 'Ye are My witnesses,' says God. He did not
say, 'Ye are my advocates.' He did not bid us argue for Him, but He bid
us witness for Him.

II. Further, notice Peter's exhortation.

According to the right rendering the last clause is, as I have already
said, 'in which stand fast.' The translation in the Authorised Version,
'in which ye stand,' gives a true thought, though not the Apostle's
intention here. For, as a matter of fact, men cannot stand upright and
firm unless their feet are planted on the rock of that true grace of
God. If our heels are well fixed on it, then our goings will be
established. It is no use talking to men about steadfastness of purpose,
stability of life, erect independence, resistance to antagonistic
forces, and all the rest, unless you give them something to stand upon.
If you talk so to a man who has his foot upon shifting sands or slippery
clay; the more he tries the deeper will he sink into the one, or slide
the further upon the other. The best way to help men to stand fast is to
give them something to stand upon. And the only standing ground that
will never yield, nor collapse, nor, like the quicksand with the tide
round it, melt away, we do not know how, from beneath our feet, is 'the
grace of God.' Or, as Dr. Watts says, in one of his now old-fashioned
hymns:--

'Lo! on the solid Rock I stand,
And all beside is shifting sand.'

However, that is not what the Apostle Peter meant. He says, 'See that
you keep firmly your position in reference to this true grace of God.'
Now I am not going to talk to you about intellectual difficulties in the
way of hearty and whole-souled acceptance of the gospel
revelation--difficulties which are very real and very widespread in
these days, but which possibly very slightly affect us; at least I hope
so.

But whilst these slay their thousands, the difficulties that affect us
all in the way of keeping a firm hold on, or firm standing in (for the
two metaphors coalesce) the gospel, which is the true grace of God, are
those that arise from two causes working in combination. One is our own
poor weak hearts, wavering wills, strong passions, unbridled desires,
forgetful minds; and the other is all that army and babel of seductions
and inducements,