2 Tim. iii. 7. Ever leariiing, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
FROM what we know of the excellency of the Gospel, we should naturally conclude that it can never produce any thing but good. And this is frue. But, as the law, notwithstanding it is good, is some- times, through the corruption of our nature, an occa- sion of evil% so the Gospel often gives occasion to the corruptions of our hearts to manifest themselves to a very awful extent. Who, for instance, would imagine that persons calling themselves Christians should be obnoxious to the charge brought against them in all the preceding context^ and answer in any degree to the character there drawn ? Yet is it a melancholy fact, that some did answer to that cha- racter, even in the apostolic age ; and, at different periods of the Church, multitudes have fully corre- sponded with the description there given ; yea, and not only corresponded with it themselves, but la- boured also with zeal and industry to infuse into others the same malignant spirit, and taken advan- tage of those who were less instructed, or more easily wrought upon, to propagate it to the utmost of their power. There is reason for thankfulness, that the Christian Church is not much agitated by such tur- bulent and unchristian teachers at this time : but still the spirit exists to a considerable extent amongst some classes of Christians ; who, whilst they are running after every new preacher, exactly answer to the character here given of them, " Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth."
To counteract this great evil, I will endeavour to shew,
I. What little improvement many make of the Gospel which they hear —
a Rom. vii. 5, 8 — 13. ^ ver. 1 — 7.