2 Timothy 3

Notes

Ver. 1. And there is the more need that you and other ministers should act with the greatest faithfulness and caution, as, even in the gospel period, manifold troubles, persecutions, and especially corruptions in doctrines and manners, will gradually work in the church, till they issue in the great apostasy of men, towards the latter part of this dispensation

2. For a set of men shall arise, under the Christian name, who shall be of a notoriously selfish spirit, aiming merely at their own secular honour and ease, without any regard to the good of others; insatiable in their desires and pursuits after the riches of this world; vainglorious boasters of their own endowments, advantages, and merits; defamers of Christ's offices, people, doctrines, and ways; undutiful to parents, contemning their authority over their children; basely ungrateful to God, princes, and other benefactors; 3. Destitute of that natural affection due to relations and neighbours; perfidious violators of the most solemn engagements, promises, and contracts; false and diabolically malicious accusers of others; abandoned to ungovernable lusts and passions; furious and cruel in their tempers and treatment of others; contemners and haters of persons or things that are good; 4. Betrayers of civil or sacred trusts, or of their neighbours and relations; headstrong, rash, daring, and precipitant in their words and behaviour; puffed up with self-conceit of their own excellencies or prerogatives; entirely addicted to sensual pleasures; 5. Cloaking and disguising their horrible wickedness with fair shows of holiness and zeal for Christ, and many external forms of piety and devotion, while they remain utter strangers and enemies, in both heart and life, to their powerful influences.—Such false pretenders to the Christian name abhor and reject, and hold no spiritual fellowship with them as church-members. 6. For many of them are extremely subtle in their insinuations; with a show of innocence they will, like snakes, wind themselves into families, pry into their secrets, and exercise an absolute tyranny over their estates and consciences, and surprisingly entice and ensnare the hearts and affections of weak women, or other simple and ignorant persons who are under the power of sinful lusts and passions, and are easily misled by everything which soothes and flatters their corrupt imaginations: 7. And so are always running after every new teacher, and imbibing every new doctrine; and hence never attain to any clear, judicious, and saving knowledge of the true gospel of Christ. 8. Now, as the two famous magicians of Egypt set themselves, by wicked reasonings and false miracles, to oppose Moses when he came by God's appointment to deliver the Hebrews from their bondage, so will these wicked or other false teachers set themselves in opposition to the Scriptures and truths of Christ, and to his servants whom he hath sent to preach spiritual deliverance to the captives of sin, Satan, and their lusts—having their minds altogether corrupted with ignorance, error, and vice, and quite alienated from the pure doctrines or grace of faith: 9. Nevertheless, God shall limit and restrain, and in due time stop their success, and manifest to all men the folly and madness of their sinful opinions, and the baseness of their conduct, as he did in the case of the Egyptian magicians. 10, 11. But, to guard you against all such seducers, and their corrupt principles and practices, I recommend to your imitation what you have seen in my behaviour; for having been so long my companion in travels and ministrations, you cannot but thoroughly understand the excellent doctrine, according to godliness, which I taught; and my self-denying, holy, and religious conversation, in a manner answerable to those doctrines; the sincerity and steadiness of my aims and pursuits for promoting the glory of God and the good of souls; my fidelity in preaching the pure gospel of Christ, under the power of that faith which I have in him, and endeavour to promote in others; the forbearance and lenity which I have all along shown toward the weak, ignorant, or unteachable; the love which I have shown to God, to Christ, and the souls of men, and the patience I have exercised, under all the abuse and persecution which I have in different places met with for the sake of the gospel; but under all which, for your and others' encouragement, the Lord graciously supported and at last delivered me. 12. And indeed such is the general corruption of mankind in every age, particularly in this, that whosoever will resolutely and perseveringly live in a truly religious manner, in a holy profession of Christ's name, in his strength, and after his example, and according to the rule of his Word, will be exposed to suffering for his sake; and God has appointed that all his faithful members, like himself shall, through much tribulation, enter into their eternal glory. 13. But hypocritical professors, and particularly seducers, instead of submitting to suffering for righteousness' sake, refuse nothing to avoid it, and are continually going further and further into error, violence, and wickedness, doing all they can to seduce others to follow them, while themselves are miserably deceived by Satan and their own lusts. 14. But whatever others do, see that you, Timothy, steadfastly and immovably continue in the belief, profession, and preaching of the pure, uncorrupted, and important doctrines of the gospel, which you have embraced upon the fullest conviction, having learned them from Jesus Christ, the faithful and true Witness, by the ministrations of me his immediately-commissioned and well-attested servant; 15. And which, by means of your early religious education, you cannot but perceive to be entirely consonant to the writings of the Old Testament, which were indited by the Holy Ghost, and delivered by holy men about holy things; and which contain all the principles of, and directions, obligations, and motives to holiness; and, together with those of the New, are, by the blessing of God, sufficient and effectual to instruct you in every important truth, and render you duly wise in everything necessary to the obtaining of eternal salvation through faith in Christ. 16. All these writings of the Old and New Testaments are of a divine original, God having by his Spirit directed and inspired holy men to deliver them exactly according to truth; and they are of manifold and excellent use for revealing important doctrines concerning himself and ourselves, our duty to him and to one another, and concerning our state by nature and grace, and the whole scheme of salvation through a Redeemer; or for reproving and convincing of and reclaiming from sins and errors; or for directing how to obtain righteousness in Christ, and derive renewing and sanctifying virtue from him, to render us holy in heart and life; 17. That, by this absolutely perfect rule of faith and practice, every Christian, and particularly ministers, may be perfected in knowledge, faith, and holiness, and thoroughly furnished, in their station, to instruct, convince, and comfort others.

Ver. 6. Laden with the consciousness of sins—which these self-interested teachers professed their power to forgive. See the whole mystery of the Romish confessional, as developed in Dens Theology. C.

Reflections.—There is great need to be well furnished with the knowledge and grace of the gospel in these perilous times. And it is dreadful to think how many selfish, worldly-minded, vainglorious, proud, ungrateful, impious, profligate professors of Christianity are in the world. With wonderful art and assiduity seducers propagate their delusions and entice followers, especially the ignorant and unsettled. But great is the mercy that God has them under his control, and can confute, restrain, or expose their evil designs. And it is very necessary for ministers to avoid connection with them. It is a great honour and happiness for the church when Christ's ministers are proper patterns of soundness in doctrine; of steadfast regard to the honour of Christ and welfare of souls; of faith and faithfulness; and of lenity, love, and patience under troubles; and are sharers in happy and wonderful deliverances. It is a mercy to have early instruction in the oracles of God, and to persevere in adherence to the truths therein contained. For complete is the authority, fulness, and fitness of the Scripture for instructing, directing, exciting, and encouraging men in every necessary sentiment, word, or work. May they make me wiser than my teachers, and be my heritage for ever!