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affection in Timothy to his aged fire in the faith, with whom he could seldom part dry eyed, I thank my God (fays Paul the aged), whom I ferve from my fore-fathers with pure confcience, that without ceafing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day; greatly defiring to fee thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy. 2 Tim. i. 1, 2.

When the apoftle wrote this epiftle he was about taking his leave of the world, and of his dearly beloved fon. It was written just before Paul was brought before Nero the Emperor the fecond time, where he received fentence and loft his head, but not his covenant head. Paul was aware that his departure would greatly affect Timothy; and the removal of him who had been fo long fet for the defence of the gofpel, would open a way for the fecond in command to appear at the front, and in the hotteft of the battle; he therefore labours hard to comfort him, counsel him, and caution him; he advertises him and advises him, inftructs and encourages him.

He comforts him by telling him of the unfeigned faith that was in him, which dwelt first in his grandmother and in his mother, and Paul was perfuaded that it dwelt in him alfo. He informs him that God had not given him the Spirit of fear, but of power, to fupport and fortify; of love, to enlarge, attract, and embolden; and of a found mind, to keep him heavenly, ftedfaft in the truth, and valiant for it. He counfels

him not to be afhamed of the teftimony of the Lord, or of the gofpel which the Lord himself had teftified; nor to be ashamed of Paul the Lord's prifoner, who was then imprisoned for the fake of his Lord and his word, and to keep a good confcience toward him.

He counfels him to be a partaker of the afflictions of the gospel, or of the cruelties that men or devils might be permitted to inflict on the adherents to it, knowing that if he suffered with Chrift be fhould reign with him.

He cautions him to beware of Alexander the coppersmith, who had done him much evil, and greatly withstood Paul and his gofpel, which I fuppofe was done before the tribunal of Nero. He cautions him against tickling itching ears, that will be calling for candour, who will require heaps of teachers to fcratch them, none being ✩able long to please.

He advertises him that the time will come when they will not endure found doctrine; that many will be lovers of themselves, and envy every faithful fervant that the Lord owns as rivals of their own honour; covetous, aiming more at the fleece than the flock; at a stock in hand, independent of Providence, instead of the good of fouls ;boafters of their own merit and carnal learning; proud wearing long robes, defpifing the poor and illiterate, attempting to affect the paffions of depraved nature by cunning artifice and the empty found of eloquent oratory; unthankful for the spoils

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fpoils their profeffion brings in; and unholy in heart and life; without natural affection for them that eclipfe their glory; truce-breakers, who fwear and vow to preach the doctrines of the Lord, and then turn Arminians; falfe accufers, calling others Antinomians when themselves are nothing else; incontinent, aiming more at old widows and their pockets than at efpoufing fouls to Chrift or making them rich in faith; fierce oppofers of the illiterate ones that God fends out; defpifers of thofe that are made good by the Holy Ghoft; traitors, who will betray half the truths of the Bible to fwim in the ftream of applaufe; pawn confcience, and expofe it to damnation, for the empty titles of candid men, or men of moderate principles; heady or headftrong, not against errors, nor in defence of truth, but against others in behalf of their own honour; how can they believe that receive honour one of another, and not that honour that cometh from God only? bigh minded, not in heavenly things, but aiming at high and lofty phrafes, to pleafe the worldly wife, embalm the pharifee, charm the hypocrite, and deceive the fimple with fwelling words of vanity; making a pompous appearance, climbing in dress to the height of the feffion, to live in a lofty stile, afsociating with those of the highest rank, and difdaining to condefcend to men of low degree; lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God; men that can fet and play glees upon a harpsichord for two hours together, and then get

into a pulpit and preach against party spirit, and prove all that he fays by the cords of his inftrument; baving a form of godliness, defiring to mimic the learned and dignified priest, ufing fervice-books for the want of fpiritual matter to ferve with; denying the power of godliness in others, calling it enthusiasm and antinomianifm, in order to bring the grace of God, the fervants of God, and divine inspiration, into contempt; from fuch Paul bids his fon turn away, left they should corrupt him. They creep into houses, to prejudice the minds of people against the servants of the Lord. as they of the circumcifion ufed to do, who fubverted whole houfes; ever learning fcraps of Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth as it is in Jefus.

Paul advises his fon to flee youthful lufts, to follow righteousness in heart and life; faith alfo, the object of it, the doctrines of it, the grace of it, the exercise of it, and the life of it. Charity, or love to God as the fupreme object; and to the faints, the objects of God's love, or to all that love our Lord Jefus Chrift in fincerity and truth; and to follow peace with all that call on the Lord out of a pure heart; but not with them that call on the Lord to blefs their flander, ridicule, or villany.

He inftructs him, telling him that in a great house, as God's church is, there are not only veffels of gold that is, there are not only veffels of

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mercy, with precious and tried faith in them, and veffels of filver, purified and made white; but there are vessels of wood, barren trees, dry fticks, fruitless profeffors, and withered branches, fit for nothing but fewel; and vessels of earth, without any divine treasure in them, veffels of dishonour; If a man purge himself from thefe, be fhall be a veffel unto honour, fanctified and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.

Paul encourages his fon to fhew himself approved anto God, that men might fee that he was one whom God approved, a workman that needeth not to be afhamed, rightly dividing the word of truth, defcribing the law and the gospel, the faint and the finner; giving a portion to feven, and also to eight, Eccl. xi. 2. a portion to the church of God, and to the fynagogue of Satan, feeding the family of heaven with milk and meat, and the hardened hypocrite with judgment, Ezek. xxxiv. 16. Thus much by way of introduction to my text. I fhall now confider the words in order as they lay before me, which are introduced thus: But foolish or unlearned queftions avoid, knowing that they do gender ftrifes. And the fervant of the Lord must not frive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient; in meekness inftructing those that oppofe themselves: which for method's fake, I wilk endeavour to do in the following manner.

ift. De.

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