538 Paul charges Timothy to preach the Word, Sect. 6. divine Book. 2 Tim. 17. IV. I. To this therefore, I hope 17 That the Man of God IV. 1. I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jefus Chrift, who fhall judge the Quick and the Dead at his appearing, and his Kingdom: 2 Preach the Word, be inftant in Season, out of Seafon; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all Long-fuffering and Doctrine. thou, O Timothy, and every Minifter of may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good the Gofpel, will diligently apply, that the Works. Furniture of the Man of GOD may be compleat, and that he may be thoroughly fitted for every good Work, which his holy Calling may require. I charge [thee] therefore, confidering what I have urged in the former Part of this Epiftle in the moft awful Manner, before the great and bleffed GOD, and the Lord Jefus Chrift, his only begotten Son, who fhall judge the Living and the Dead, and pronounce them all their final and everon Fafting Doom, at his laft publick, glorious Appearance, when the Extent and Majefty of his Kingdom fhall appear in full Difplay: I charge thee, to execute the important Truft committed to thee, with the ftricteft 2 Fidelity. For this Purpofe, preach the Word of GOD, with all poffible Serioufnefs and Earneftnefs; be inftant in the Profecution of that good Work, in the ftated Seafon of religious Affemblies, [and] out of that Seafon, when occafional Providences may give thee an Opportunity; yea carry it into thy private Conversation, in the Intervals of thy publick Labours. Endeavour to convince the Confciences 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-fuffering, tho' thou mayeft not immediately fee the defired Succefs; and enforce thefe Exhortations, with all those well known and important Motives, which the Doctrine of the Gospel 3. may fuggeft. Seize the prefent Opportunity with all Eagernefs, for I fee that the Time will quickly come, when they will not endure good and wholefome Doctrine, but thinking themselves above the Plainness of moral 3 For the Time will come, when they will not endure found Doctrine; but after after their own Lufts fhall they heap to themselves Teachers, having itching Ears. 139 2 Tim. IV. 3. To watch in all Things, and make full Proof of his Ministry. moral and practical Inftruction, hall wan- Sect. 6. tonly heap up to themselves feducing Teachers (b), whofe Harangues fhall be just according to the Prejudices of their own Lufts, having nothing elfe to recommend them, unless it be perhaps a Glare of falfe and af fected Eloquence, which may gratify the vain Curiofity, and itching Ears of their Hearers. And fo unhappily will their 4 Minds be difpofed, that they shall turn away [their] Attention from fimple Truth, of the greatest Certainty, on which nothing lefs than their Salvation depends, and shall be turned afide to idle Fables, which they eagerly drink in, under a fond Semblance of Mystery and obfcure Science, which they pretend to be veiled in these abftruse and enigmatical Forms. 4 And they shall turn away their Ears from the Truth, and fhall be turned unto Fables. 5 But watch thou in all Things, endure Afflictions, do the Work of an Evan: gelift, make full Proof of thy Ministry. But be thou, O Timothy, diligent and $ watchful in all Things, that may tend to the Security of thy Charge; and prepare thyself refolutely to endure Adverfity, and to perform the full Work of an Evangelift, and fully to accomplish all the Branches of thy 6 For I am now ready Miniftry (d). And the rather, confider- 6 ing how foon the World will lofe whatever Advan to (c) They shall heap up to themselves Teachers.] Mr. Slater, in his Original Draught, &c. pag. 126. urges this Text, as an Argument against allowing to the People the Choice of their own Minifters; but that Right is by no means in Question here. The Danger there was of Men's hearkening to erroneous and feducing Teachers, would, upon every imaginable Hypothefis, be a folid Argument for Timothy's exerting himself to the utmost, in preaching the Word, and endeavouring to guard the Churches against Errors, which might otherwise foon have become fatally prevalent. I muft add, that the Expreffion, heaping up to themselves, implies that they fhould be desirous of fuch, and that they fhould meet with many of fuch a Character. (d) Accomplish thy Miniftry.] It must furely have been owing to a strong Prepoffeffion in Favour of Diocefan Epifcopacy, that the worthy Perfon I mentioned above, could imagine thefe Words contained an Argument for it. He explains the Words wing the diazovav σe, as an Exhortation to take upon him the compleat Office of a Bishop, because Paul himself was ready to quit it; not confidering how ill this Interpretation agrees with his own Suppofition, of Timothy's being in the Episcopal Office, when Paul wrote his first Epistle to him. Whatever Timothy's Offices were, the Argument which Paul fuggefts, of the Satisfaction he found in the Reflection on his own Fidelity, would be very conclufive. 540 Sect. 7. 2 Tim. IV. 6. He rejoices in having fought the good Fight. Hand. 7 I have fought a good Fight, I have finifhed my Courfe, I have kept the Faith. Advantage it may now receive from my per- to be offered, and the Time fonal Labours; for I may well conclude of my Departure is at from my Age and Circumstances, that I am now, as it were, juft ready to be offered, to be poured out as a Libation upon God's Altar, and the Time of my Departure is near at Hand the Time when I fhall be difmiffed from this State of Confinement, when I fhall weigh Anchor from thefe mortal Shores, and launch into the Ocean of Eternity. 7 And while I ftand on the Borders of that awful State, it is with unfpeakable Pleafure I reflect, that I have maintained the good Combat, against the sharpeft Oppofition, that I •have finished [my] Race, though it has been fo arduous, that I have kept the holy Faith committed to my Truft, and with the ftricteft Fidelity, endeavoured to preferve it free from 8 human Additions and Corruptions. remaineth, [that] a Crown of Righteousness and Glory is laid up in fure Referve for me, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, who prefides in this great Exercife, hall, with diftinguished Honour, before the affembled World, render and award to me, in that illuftrious Day (e), upon which our Hopes and Hearts are fet: And it is the Joy of my Soul to think, that he fhall not affign it to me alone, but to all them alfo, who love the Thoughts of his final Appearance to the univerfal Judgment, and are, or fhall be making a wife and pious Preparation for it. It 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a Crown of Righ teoufnefs, which the Lord the righteous Judge fhall give me at that Day: and not to me only, but unto appearing. all them also that love his (e) In that Day.] This Text will certainly prove, that the great and moft glorious Reward of faithful Chriftians, is referred to the Day of general Judgment. But it would be very precarious to argue from hence, that there should be no Prelibation and Anticipation of this Happiness in a feparate State. And when the many Texts, which have been fo often urged in Proof of that intermediate Happiness, are confidered, it is furprising that any Strefs can be laid on the Objection, which has been drawn from fuch Paffages as this. IMPROVE Reflections on St. Paul's Behavionr in the Views of Death. IMPROVEMENT. 541 EHOLD this bleffed Man, this Prifoner, this Martyr of Chap. IV. 6. Christ, appearing in his Chains, and in the near Views of a violent Death, more truly majestick and happy, than Cefar on his imperial Throne! Bleffed Man indeed; who could look upon the pouring forth of his Blood, as the Libation of a Sacrifice of Thanksgiving, on which he could call for the Congratulations of his Friends, rather than their Condolence; who could loofen from thefe mortal Shores, and fet Sail for Eternity with a Shout! Oh may we all be excited by his Example to fight the good Fight, to finish our Course, Ver. 7. to keep the Faith, in the View of that Crown of Righteousness, which Ver. 8. is not referved only for Paul, or for Minifters and Chriftians of the firft Rank, who have been eminent for the most diftinguished Services, but for all who love Chrift's Appearance, and whofe Hearts are thoroughly reconciled to his Government! May we therefore be watchful in all Things. May we endure Ver. 5. every Affliction which GOD fhall lay in our Way, and fill up with proper Services every Station in which we are fixed. Let the Mi- Ver. 1. nifters of Chrift attend to this folemn Charge, before GOD and the Lord Jefus Chrift, who shall judge both the Quick aud the Dead, at bis Appearance and in his Kingdom. They are as much concerned in this Judgment, as Timothy or Paul; their own eternal State is in Question, and none can have greater Reason than themselves to be impressed with it. Let as many therefore as are called to it by di- Ver. 2. vine Providence and Grace, preach the Word with Zeal and Fervency, as well as Fidelity; let them be inftant in Seafon, and out of Seafon, with a Refolution tempered with Gentlenefs, and fupported by firm Faith in him, who entrusts them with the Meffage. And Ver. 3. let the Petulancy of Men, which indifpofes them to endure found Doctrine, yet makes them need it so much the more, be confidered by them as an Engagement to greater Zeal, rather than an Excufe for Remiffness. That they may be animated to it, and furnished for it, thoroughly Chap. III. furnished for every good Work incumbent upon them, as Men of 16, 17. GOD, a becoming Reverence is to be maintained for the divinely infpired Scriptures, fo apparently profitable for Doctrine and Reproof, for Correction, and Inftruction in Righteousness. Let us all efteem it our great Happinefs, if from Children we have been acquainted Ver. 15. with them; let us ftudy them diligently, and take faithful Care, 542 Paul urges Timothy to come to him quickly, to deliver them down to thofe that arife after us, as the Oracles of that eternal Wisdom, by which we and they may be made wife to Salvation. 9. SEC T. VII. The Apostle concludes with requesting Timothy to come to him, giving him an Account of the Manner in which he had, in his late Appearance before the Heathen Magiftrate at Rome, been deferted by Men, but Jupported by Chrift; and adding fome particular Salutations and Directions. 2 Tim. IV. 9, to the End. I Sect. 7. to (a) Demas bath for faken me.] I think we can neither be certain, that Damas was ever a good Man, from Paul's fpeaking of him, as one whom in the Judgment of Charity he hoped to be fo, nor can we certainly infer from his difhonourable Conduct on this Occafion, that he totally apoftatized from Christianity, and much less that he never returned to a Senfe of it any more. John Mark had once acted a Part very like this, yet was evidently reftored to the Efteem of our Apoftle. Compare As xv. 38. with the next Verfe of this Chapter. (b) Bring |