2 Timothy 3

2 Timothy 3:1-13

Paul cautions Timothy against that great declension and apostas which was to prevail in the Christian world, and against those false teachers who were rising up in it ; reminding him of the example he had seen in him, in the midst of such persecutions as were still to be expected. 2 Tim. III. 1—13.

2 TIMOTHY III. 1.

IT is the more necessary thus to urge thee to every precaution, and every effort, which may preserve the purity and honour of the Christian church, as, after all we can do for this purpose, such sad scenes are to open in it. We are indeed acquainted with our duty, and we shall find our own highest account in attending to it. But this know, O Timothy, that in the last days, under the evangelical dispensation, which is to wind up the economy of Providence, and is to remain in full force even to the end of the world, difficult times and circumstances shall arise, in which it will be hard to discharge our consciences, and at the same time maintain our safety. For men shall be lovers of themselves, in the most absurd and excessive degree ; lovers of money, so as to be impelled to the basest practices by the hopes of obtaining it ; boasters of what they have, and proud pretenders to what they have not ; blasphemers of God, and revilers of their fellow creatures ; disobedient to parents, notwithstanding all the obligations they are under to their care and tenderness ; unthankful, and ungrateful

a Men shall be lovers of themselves, &c.] Dr. Whitby takes great pains to shew that these characters were applicable to the Jews in the last days of their commonwealth, and supposes the apostle refers to the difficulty of retaining the Christian profession, or acting so as to preserve a safe conscience in it. Many of the lineaments here drawn, were, no doubt, to be found in the unbelieving Jews : but, especially considering, ver. 5—7, I rather choose to interpret the words as describing some who not only professed Christianity, but pretended to teach it. And I must beg leave to refer my readers to that very learned and ingenious dissertation of Vitr. (Obser. S. lib. iv. cap 7,) in which he attempts to prove that there was a great alteration in the face of the Christian church between the time of

Nero and Trajan, within which period, he apprehends great numbers of professors to have departed from the strictness of Christian morals, as well as the purity of the faith. I cannot be satisfied that the supposed predictions of this remarkable event, which he produces from the Old Testament, in his viiih chapter, are so convincing as he thinks them, viz. Isa. xi. 4 ; xli. 10—12 ; xliii 1—3 ; xlix. 14 ; l. 10 ; Mic. vii. 10 ; Psal. v. 1 ; xl. 13, 14 ; lvii. 5 ; lxxii. 4. His arguments from the New Testament have much greater weight, viz. Mat. x. 21, 22 ; xxiv. 9—13, 22 ; Acts xx. 29 ; 1 Tim. iv. 1—3 ; 1 Pet. iv. 16, 17 ; with the epistle to the Hebrews, the second of Peter, and that of Jude : and I wonder he hath not added this remarkable text to the catalogue.

n shall sink into the utmost degeneracy ;

to other benefactors ; unholy, though they profess themselves devoted to God, and consecrated to his service by the most solemn rites: They will be destitute of natural affection, even to their own children, as well as of piety toward their parents ; implacable where enmities have been commenced, and treacherous in their mutual engagements, when there has been a pretence of making them up ;ᵇ false accusers, in which they will imitate that diabolical malignity which renders the great enemy of mankind so justly odious ; intemperate in their pleasures, fierce in their resentments, cruel in their revenge ; destitute of all love to goodness, though it so naturally extorts a tribute of veneration and affection from every human heart which is not sunk into the last degeneracy. They will be traitors to those that place the greatest confidence in them, such base traitors, as even to give up their brethren into the hands of persecutors ; heady and rash in enterprising things, which can only issue in the disturbance of society, or the ruin of those that undertake them. In the mean time, they will be puffed up with such insolence and self sufficiency, as to despise any remonstrance which can be made to bring them to a wiser and more decent conduct ; and, upon the whole, will prove lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God ; who will therefore sacrifice all considerations of religion to the gratification of their appetites. And yet, in the midst of all these enormities, they will still profess themselves Christians, having a form of godliness, and observing with exactness the rituals and externals of religion, but at the same time denying and opposing the power of it in their lives, and demonstrating that it has no real influence upon them. From such therefore, even from all, in whom thou discernest a temper like that which I have here described, turn away ; avoid all intimacy with them, lest they should avail themselves of the friendship to which thou

ᵇ Implacable and treacherous.] The reconciliation, and also to such as will no word ἀσπονδία certainly takes in both ideas, think themselves bound by such treaties and may be applied to men, who, when when they may answer any purposes of once offended will come into no treaty of their own by the violation of them.

eing corrupte in their minds, and resisting

mightest admit them, as an advantage for doing further mischief; let it therefore evidently appear, that thou givest them no countenance.

This temper, as I have intimated before, has begun to appear in many of our contemporaries, of which [number] are those artful deceivers, who insinuate themselves into houses, and are especially successful in their attempts to captivate inconsiderable women, of low rank, and mean understandings, yet easily inflamed with passionate zeal; being indeed whatever pretences they may make to sanctity, laden with sins, and led aside by various lusts, which these seducers know how to flatter in such a manner as to make them their own property. These foolish creatures are always learning, they pretend to hear with great eagerness, and are charmed with every appearance of novelty and fervour; but they are tossed about with every gale of doctrine, and never able to come to the acknowledgment of the truth, or to attain any fixed and steady principles. And these designing wretches, of whom I have been speaking, seize on such as their proper prey, and just as Fannes and Fambres, the Egyptian magicians, withstood Moses when he came to Pharaoh with a message from God, so do 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 mani-

Insinuate themselves, &c] This character, as we hinted above, seems rather to suit disaffected and seducing Christian teachers, than infidel Jews, who no doubt carried it with an high hand, and would scorn to think of crouching to the leaders of so contemptible a sect as they called that of the Nazarenes.

Fannes and Fambres.] It is remarkable that the former of these is mentioned together with Moses, by Pius, and both of them by Numenius the philosopher, quoted in Eusebius, as celebrated magicians. See Pius Nat. Hist. lib. 30, cap. 1, and Ibid. lib. 9, cap. 8. It is of no im-

portance to inquire, by what tradition their names came down to so distant an age

Shall not proceed much farther.] Translating it thus, will easily reconcile this with what is afterwards said of their growing worse and worse, ver. 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.

knew au s doctrine, conduct, and sufferings.

ested 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.

But thou hast exactly traced, and been accurately acquainted with, my doctrine, and my conversation, the steadiness of my aim, purpose, and resolution in the cause of God; that firm and uniform 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 my patience under such pressing trials. Particularly under the persecutions [and] sufferings which befel me in the Pisidian Antioch, (Acts xiii. 45,) in Iconium, (xiv. 2,) in Lystra, (xiv. 19,) where thou hast not only heard, but seen, what persecutions I endured; but the Lord Jesus, whom I serve, was still with me, and rescued me out of them all. Tea, and all who are resolutely determined upon it, that they will live godly in Christ Jesus, that they will conduct themselves by the strict rules of piety, which he has prescribed, not turning aside to the right hand or the left, shall suffer persecution, or opposition of one kind or another; for Christ has decreed to lead all his people to glory, through a variety of difficulties and hardships. But wicked men and impostors, by whatever artifices they may 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

⁵ Live godly in Christ Jesus, &c.] This, as Dr. Evans justly observes, may import something peculiar in the godliness to be exercised by Christians, as being agreeable to the revelation of Christ, animated by his example, dependent on his Spirit for assistance, and his atonement for acceptance with God. Important topics which all who desire to obtain and promote godliness, ought to dwell much upon See Evan’s Christian Temper, Vol. I. p. 192:

Reflections on the degeneracy of the last days.

SEC. visionary hope of some temporal advantage, while they are v. plunging into irrecoverable and everlasting ruin.

IMPROVEMENT.

verse 1 MUST we not, on the survey of this scripture, in comparison 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 4 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 5 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. 10 Blessed be God, there are those yet remaining who are the happy reverse of these; ministers, who can appeal to the consciences of men, as to their doctrine, their conversation, their resolution, their fidelity, their gentleness, their charity, and their patience. Happy are they, how ill soever they may be treated 11 in the world! Happy would they be, though exposed to all the terrors of persecution which the apostles and their first followers 12 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 not be destroyed. (2 Cor. iv. 9.) A little time will 13 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.

Timothy from a c 1 had known the scriptures.

2 Timothy 3:14

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.

2 TIMOTHY III. 14.

I HAVE mentioned the case of these wretched men, who grow worse and worse, deceiving others, and themselves most of all. But that thou, O Timothy, mayest effectually avoid them, continue thou steadfast 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 extraordinary inspiration by which I teach. And knowing also, that the oracles of the Old Testament confirm the system of doctrines which I have taught; of which thou must be very sensible, because from thine infancyᵃ thou hast known the sacred scriptures, in which the grand learning 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 faithfully 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 which is in Christ Jesus. For the whole scripture, received by the Jewish church, [is] divinely inspired,ᵇ and therefore, as may well be imagined, is profitable to

ᵃ From thine infancy.] Hence it appears, that little children may learn some useful lessons from scripture, and that they ought to be early initiated into the study of the sacred letters; directly contrary to what the church of Rome teaches.

ᵇ The whole scripture [is] divinely inspired.] Grotius translates the words, the

whole divinely inspired scripture is profitable, &c. which they will undoubtedly bear; and as we may be sure that, by scripture, the apostle means the books which the Jews received as canonical, that version gives a true sense; but I take this, which is our own, to be more literal.

VO . .

Paul charges Timothy to preach the wo

the highest purposes. It is fitted for doctrine, as it lays down the most 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 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. I 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 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 appearance, when the extent and majesty of his kingdom shall appear in full display: I charge thee to execute the important trust committed to thee with the strictest fidelity. For this purpose, preach the word of God with all possible seriousness and earnestness; be instant in the prosecution of that good work, in the stated season of religious 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

to watch in all things, and make all proof of his ministry.

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 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, thinking themselves above the plainness of moral and practical instructions, shall wantonly 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 hearers. And 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.

But be thou, O Timothy, diligent and watchful in all things that may tend to the security of thy charge; and prepare thyself resolutely to endure adversity, and to perform the full work of an evangelist, and fully to accomplish all the branches of thy ministry. And the rather, considering how soon the world will

c They shall heap up to themselves teachers.] r. Slater, in his Original Draught, &c. 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 here was of men’s hearkening to erroneous and seducing teachers, would, upon every imaginable hypothesis, be a solid argument for Timothy’s exerting himself to the utmost, in preaching the word, and endeavouring to guard the churches against errors which might otherwise soon have become fatally prevalent. I must add, that the expression, heaping up to themselves, implies, that they should be desirous of such, and that they should meet with many of such a character.

d Accomplish thy ministry.] It must surely have been owing to a strong prepossessio in favour of Diocesan Episcopacy, that the worthy person I mentioned above could imagine these words contained an argument for it. He explains the words ἀληφύσουσιν ἀν δίσκονις σκ, as an exhortation to take upon him the complete office of a bishop, because Paul himself was ready to quit it; not considering how ill this interpretation agrees with his own supposition, of Timothy’s being in the episcopal office, when Paul wrote his first epistle to him. Whatever Timothy’s office were, the argument which Paul suggests, of the satisfaction he found in the reflection on his own fidelity, would be very conclusive

Reflections on St. Paul’s behaviour

lose whatever advantage it may now receive from my personal labours; for I may well conclude, from my age and circumstances, that I am now, as it were, just 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 shall be dismissed from this state of confinement, when I shall weigh anchor from these mortal shores, and launch into the ocean of eternity. And, while I stand on the borders of that awful state, it is with unspeakable pleasure I reflect, that I have maintained the good combat against the sharpest opposition, that I have finished [my] race, though it has been so arduous, that I have kept the holy faith committed to my trust, and, with the strictest fidelity, endeavoured to preserve it free from human additions and corruptions. It remaineth, [that] a crown of righteousness and glory is laid up in sure reserve for me, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, who presides in this great exercise, shall, with distinguished honour, before the assembled world, render and award to me, in that illustrious day, upon which our hopes and hearts are set: and it is the joy of my soul to think, that he shall not assign it to me alone, but to all them also who love the thoughts of his final appearance to the universal judgment, and are, or shall be, making a wise and pious preparation for it.

IMPROVEMENT.

CHAP. BEHOLD this blessed man, this prisoner, this martyr of Christ. appearing in his chains, and, in the near views of a violent death, more truly majestic and happy, than Cesar on his imperial throne! Blessed 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 loosen from these mortal shores, and set sail for eternity with a shout! O may we all be

• In that day.] This text will certainly prove, that the great and most glorious reward of faithful Christians, is referred to the day of general judgment. But it would be very precarious to argue from hence, that there shall be no prelibation and anticipation of this happiness in a separate state. And when the many texts, which have been so often urged in proof of that intermediate happiness, are considered, it is surprising that any stress can be laid on the objection which has been drawn from such passages as this

in the views of death.

excited by his example to fight the good fight, to finish our course, to keep the faith, in the view of that crown of righteousness, which is not reserved only for Paul, or for ministers and Christians of the first rank, who have been eminent for the most distinguished services, but for all who love Christ’s appearance, and whose hearts are thoroughly reconciled to his government!

May we therefore be watchful in all things. May we endure every affliction which God shall lay in our way, and fill up with proper services every station in which we are fixed. Let the ministers of Christ attend to this solemn charge, before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge both the quick and the dead, at his 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 Divine Providence and grace, preach the word with zeal and fervency, as well as fidelity; let them be instant in season, and out of season, with a resolution tempered with gentleness, and supported by firm faith in him, who intrusts them with the message. And let the petulancy of men, which indisposes them to endure sound doctrine, yet makes them need it so much the more, be considered by them as an engagement to greater zeal, rather than an excuse for remissness.

That they may be animated to it, and furnished for it, thoroughly furnished for every good work incumbent upon them as men of God, a becoming reverence is to be maintained for the divinely inspired scriptures, apparently profitable for doctrine and reproof, for correction and instruction in righteousness. Let us all esteem it our great happiness, if from children we have been acquainted with them; let us study them diligently, and take faithful care to deliver them down to those that arise after us, as the oracles of that eternal wisdom by which we and they may be made wise to salvation.