2 Peter 3:15 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

And account, that the long-suffering of our Lord is salvation;— They were not to account the long extended patience of God as any sign of an unreasonable delay, or as implying any the least danger of his never coming to judge the world, and make the righteous perfectly happy; but as a proof of his goodness, and as giving men an opportunity to work out through his grace their own salvation. It is a matter of some difficulty to determine to which of the epistles of St. Paul St. Peter refers in the last clause of this verse. Several take him to mean the epistle to the Hebrews; others, the epistle to the Romans. In favour of which last opinion it should be observed, that the epistleto the Romans was written to Gentile Christians, and that it was St. Paul's way to send copies of his letters to other churches besides those to which they were originally directed: (see Colossians 4:16.) And others think, that as St. Peter directed his epistles to the Christians dispersed in Asia Minor, St. Paul's epistles to those in the same country, namely, the Galatians and Ephesians, are referred to.—Doddridge paraphrases the words thus: "The passage to which I refer, is in a letter immediately directed to the Romans; but it may be considered as designed for you, and for the general use of all Christians." I look upon this passage, says he, as a very instructive admonition to all Christians, to consider St. Paul and the other apostles as writing to them, in their epistles, so far as a similarity of circumstances will admit. In which view it is of infinite importance, that we should esteem them as written to us, in like manner as St. Peter tells us even the ancient prophets considered the great subjects of which these epistles treat, as relating to them. 1 Peter 1:10-12.