That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
Ver. 2. That ye be not soon shaken] Σαλευθηναι (a nomine σαλος, salum). As seamen are tossed by a tempest, and even brought to their wits' ends,Psalms 107:27. That ye be not shaken out of your wits, and put beside yourselves; so the words may be rendered. And indeed errors and heresies sanam tollunt de cardine mentem, drive men out of their little wits; as we see by woeful experience at this day.
Or be troubled] Or, terrified, θροεισθαι, as with a sudden hubbub, alarm, tumult, uproar. It imports such perturbation as ariseth from rumour, Mark 13:5,27, or relation of something troublesome.
Neither by spirit] Pretended revelations, such as was that whereby the old impostor deceived that young prophet into a lion's mouth.
Nor by word] Traditions, unwritten verities, &c.
Nor by letter] Counterfeited, supposititious, spurious, such as were those Gospels that went under the names of St Thomas, St Bartholomew, &c. Or by wresting and writhing that passage of his former letter, 1 Thessalonians 4:17, to another meaning than ever the apostle intended it. So St Austin was served, and he foresaw it: I believe, saith he, that some of my readers will imagine me sensisse quod non sensi, aut non sensisse quod sensi, that I was in many things of another mind than ever I was indeed. And it happened accordingly; for as Baronius witnesseth, after St Austin's death there arose up divers, Qui ex eius scriptis male perceptis complures invexerunt errores, who by mistaking of what he had written, brought in many pernicious errors, and vouched him for their author. (Baron. Annal. tom. 6.)
As that the day of Christ] Peter's scoffers asked, "Where is the promise of his coming?" as if Christ would never come. These were afraid he would come too soon, and take them with their task undone. The devil usually tempteth by extremes, as he did our Saviour, Matthew 4:1,11, and as he did Mr Knox upon his deathbed, first to despair, by setting his sins before him; and then to presumption, by reminding him of his reformations.
Is at hand] Just now, this present year, for so the Greek ενεστηκεν signifieth. This fear racked and almost wrecked their minds, as a storm forceth a ship riding in the road to cut cable.