28 V. 8 Now as Jannes the faith. But Timothy knew Paul's doctrine, conduct, and sufferings. SICT. ciples. And these designing wretches, of whom and Jambres withstood I have been speaking, seize on such as their pro- Moses, so do these al2 Tim. per prey, and just as Jannes and Jambres, the so resist the truth; III. 8. Egyptian magicians, withstood Moses when he men of corrupt minds, came to Pharaoh with a message from God, so do reprobate concerning these men also withstand the truth of the gospel. I speak of persons whose minds are utterly corrupted, who with respect to the faith are disapproved, and worthy of being rejected as enemies to it, and unworthy to know it, though they pretend so much zeal in its defence. But I foresee, that they shall not proceed much farther in these artifices, for their folly shall be manifested to all, as theirs also was, when God sent upon the Egyptians plagues, which far from being able to remove, or mitigate, they could not, as in former instances, so much as imitate. 9 10 9 But they shall proceed no further; for their folly shall be matheirs also was. nifest unto all men, as 10 But thou hast fully known my doctrine, tience, But thou hast exactly traced, and been accurately acquainted with my doctrine, and my con; manner of life, purversation, the steadiness of my aim, purpose, and pose, faith, long-sufresolution in the cause of God; that firm and fering, charity, pauniform fidelity which I have always strenuously maintained, without yielding up any the least article of it; my long-suffering, when I had been treated in the most injurious manner; my love to all, however different in opinion, not excepting even mine enemies and persecutors; and 11 my patience under such pressing trials. Particularly under the persecutions [and] sufferings flictions which came which befel me in the Pisidian Antioch, Acts unto me at Antioch, xiii. 45, in Iconium (xiv. 2) in Lystra (xiv. 19) what persecutions where thou hast not only heard, but seen, what endured; persecutions I endured; but the Lord Jesus, them all the Lord deliwhom I serve, was still with me, and rescued me 12 out of them all. Yea, and all who are resolutely determined upon it, that they will live godly in Christ Jesus, that they will conduct themselves d Jannes and Jambres.] It is remarkable that the former of these is mentioned together with Moses, by Pliny, and both of them by Numenius the philosopher, quoted in Eusebius, as celebrated magicians. See Plin. Nat. Hist. lib. 30, cap. i. and Euseb. lib. 9, cap. 8. It is of no importance to enquire, by what tradition their names came down to so distant an age. e Shall not proceed much farther.] Translating it thus, will easily reconcile this with what is afterwards said of their grow by 11 Persecutions, af at Iconium at Lystra ; vered me. but out of 12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ ing worse and worse, vcr. 13, and of their word eating as a gangrene. Diodate indeed explains this and the 13th verse of different persons; this, of some who had already appeared; that, of others who were soon to arise. But there seems not the least need of having recourse to such a solution. f Live godly in Christ Jesus, &c.] This, as Dr. Evans justly observes, may import something peculiar in the godliness to be cxercised by Christians, as being agreeable to the revelation of Christ, animated by his example, dependent on his Spirit for assistance Reflections on the degeneracy of the last days. Christ Jesus shall suf- by the strict rules of piety, which he has prefer persecution. worse and worse, de ceived. SECT. V. scribed, not turning aside to the right hand or the left, shall suffer persecution, or opposition of 2 Tim. one kind or another; for Christ has decreed to III. 12. lead all his people to glory, through a variety of 18 But evil men and difficulties and hardships. But wicked men 13 seducers shall wax and impostors, by whatever artifices they may ceiving, and being de- decline persecution, are in a yet more wretched state; for they provoke God to give them up to the lusts of their own heart, and so will grow continually worse and worse, more obstinate in their opposition to the gospel and its faithful ministers; deceiving others indeed by false and treacherous pretences, but being themselves much more fatally deceived by their own corruptions, which delude them with the visionary hope of some temporal advantage, while they are plunging into irrecoverable and everlasting. ruin. 29 IMPROVEMENT. MUST we not, on the survey of this scripture, in comparison Ver 1. with what we every day behold in life, cry out, "Verily these are the last days?" They are assuredly times of difficulty and 2,3 peril. Self-love, pride, ingratitude, treachery, intemperance, insolence, the contempt of all authority, human and divine, each, all♣ of these characters may too plainly declare it. But none with more striking evidence than the excessive love of pleasure, on which so many are doting to destruction, while every consideration, both of religion and of prudence, falls at the shrine of this favourite idol. Men are lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, more than lovers of their families, yea, though self-interest be in many instances so scandalously pursued, yet more than lovers of themselves; and when they have sacrificed every thing else to their gain, they sacrifice even that gain to luxury. And would to God there was none such, even among those that retain the form of godliness, which so many indeed have scornfully cast off! But O! how vain the form, where the power of it is thus denied! And how peculiarly scandalous are these characters in those who call themselves teachers of religion! Yet to such they are here originally applied; and their race is not yet extinct. Blessed assistance, and his atonement for acceptance with God. Important topics, which all who desire to obtain and promote god liness, ought to dwell much upon. See a From 5 30 SECT. V. 12 Timothy from a child had known the scriptures. Blessed be God, there are those yet remaining who are the happy reverse of these; ministers, who can appeal to the consciVer, ences of men, as to their doctrine, their conversation, their reso10 lution, their fidelity, their gentleness, their charity, and their pa 11 tience. Happy are they, how ill soever they may be treated in the world. Happy would they be, though exposed to all the terrors of persecution which the apostles and their first followers endured! But we are all warned to prepare for some degree of it; and indeed who can wonder, if amidst so many evils, they who will not go on with the multitude should sometimes be rudely pressed by them; and it may be in some instances, cast down and trampled under foot. But be it so; though cast down, they shall 13 not be destroyed. (2 Cor. iv. 9.) A little time will balance all. An hour of eternity will more than balance it. Let us guard against the deceits by which so many suffer. Let us guard, above all, against those deceits which men practise upon themselves, and whereby they hurt themselves infinitely more than all their fraud or violence can hurt any, who are not accessary to their own undoing. SECT. VI. To guard Timothy against those seducing teachers, and to preserve the church from their evil influence, Paul recommends to him the study of the scriptures, and great diligence in all the parts of his ministerial work; reflecting with pleasure on his own fidelity in the nearest views of martyrdom for the truth. 2 Tim. III. 14. to the end. IV. 1-8. HAVE mentioned the case of these wretch- 2 TIM. III. 14. BUT continue thou in the things which thou hast learned, and knowing of whom thou hast learned them : 2 Tim. ing others, and themselves most of all. But hast been assured of, III. 14. that thou, O Timothy, mayest effectually avoid them, continue thou, stedfast in the things which thou hast learnt from me, and hast believed upon the authority of God speaking in and by me; knowing from whom thou hast learnt [them] and what convincing proofs I have given thee, both of my general integrity, and of that extraor15 dinary inspiration by which I teach. And knowing also, that the oracles of the Old Tes- known the holy scriptament confirm the system of doctrines which I tures, which are able have taught; of which thou must be very sensi- to make thee wise unble, because from thine infancy thou hast known to salvation, through a From thine infancy.] Hence it appears that little children may learn some the faith Jesus. Paul charges Timothy to preach the word. vi. 31 2 Tim. faith which is in Christ the sacred scriptures, in which the grand learn- SECT. ing of our Jewish nation consists, and which are indeed most worthy of being studied by all, as they are able to make thee, and all that faithful- III. 15. ly admit and follow their guidance, wise unto eternal salvation; a science infinitely nobler and more important than human literature in its greatest refinements can pretend to teach, and which is to be learned only through that faith 16 All scripture is which is in Christ Jesus. For the whole scrip- 16 given by inspiration of God, and is profitable ture, received by the Jewish church, [is] difor doctrine, for re- vinely inspired, and therefore, as may well be proof, for correction, imagined, is profitable to the highest purposes. for instruction in righ- It is fitted for doctrine, as it lays down the most teousness: fundamental principles of religion, in the view it gives us of the Divine nature and perfections, and for conviction of those opposite errors, which the licentious and perverse wit of man has invented in so great abundance, and set off with so many plausible arguments. It is also useful for the reproof of irregularities in practice, which how speciously soever they may be defended by the sophistry of those that think it their interest to plead for them, quickly fall before the authority of the Divine word. And when men have submitted to it, they will also find it effectual for instruction in righteousness, and will be led on from one degree of virtue and piety to another, with a progress which will continually advance, in proportion to the regard they pay to that Divine book. To this therefore, I 17 hope thou, O Timothy, and every minister of the gospel, will diligently apply, that the furniture of the man of God may be complete, and that he may be thoroughly fitted for every good work which his holy calling may require. IIV. 1. charge [thee] therefore, considering what I have urged in the former part of this epistle, in the most awful manner, before the great and blessed at God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, who shall judge the living and the dead, and pronounce on them all their final and everlasting doom, at his last public glorious appear 17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. IV. 1. I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead of the sacred letters; directly contrary to ance and as we may be sure that, by scripture, e They 32 To watch in all things, and make full proof of his ministry. SECT. ance, when the extent and majesty of his king- at his appearing, and 7 vi. dom shall appear in full display: I charge thee his kingdom: trine. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doc 2 Tim. to execute the important trust committed to thee IV. 2. with the strictest fidelity. For this purpose, 2 Preach the word; preach the word of God with all possible serious. be instant in season, out of season; reprove, ness and earnestness; be instant in the prosecu- rebuke, exhort with all tion of that good work, in the stated season of long-suffering and docreligious assemblies, [and] out of that season, when occasional providences may give thee an opportunity; yea, carry it into thy private conversation, in the intervals of thy public labours. Endeavour to convince the consciences of men,' and to reclaim them from their erroneous principles; rebuke them for their irregularities and vices, without fearing the face of any; and exhort them to diligence and zeal in the performance of their duty, with all long suffering, though thou mayest not immediately see the desired success; and enforce these exhortations with all those well-known and important motives which 3 the doctrine of the gospel may suggest. Seize the present opportunity with all eagerness, for I see that the time will quickly come, when they will not endure good and wholesome doctrine, but, own lusts shall they thinking themselves above the plainness of mo- teachers, having itchral and practical instructions, shall wantonly ings ears; heap up to themselves seducing teachers, whose harangues shall be just according to the prejudices of their own lusts, having nothing else to recommend them, unless it be perhaps a glare of false and affected eloquence, which may gratify the vain curiosity and itching ears of their hearAnd so unhappily will their minds be disposed, that they shall turn away [their attention from simple truth, of the greatest certainty, on which nothing less than their salvation depends, and shall be turned aside to idle fables, which they eagerly drink in, under a fond semblance of mystery and obscure science, which they pretend to be veiled in these abstruse and enigmatical forms. 4 ers. e They shall heap up to themselves teachers.] Mr Slater, in his Original Draught, &c. p. 126, urges this text, as an argument against allowing to the people the choice of their own ministers; but that right is by no means in question here. The danger there was of men's hearkening to erroneous and seducing teachers, would upon every imaginable hypothesis, But trine; but after their heap to themselves 4 And they shall turn away their ears from turned unto fables. the truth, and shall be |