7 By Fables he probably meaneth the Fewiſh Fables, and command- ments of men, mentioned Titus 1, 14. Or more generally, all vazr and idle (peculdtionS. R W hatſoever tendeth not to build men up in Godli- neſs, (which is the end of Preaching,) 1 he Jews had many unwritten Fables, about what Gud did detore he made the World, &c. and many uavritten endleſs Genealogies, which were as ſo many Labyrinths, in- tricate without an iffue out of them, and 'tis probable that ſome of them (converted to the Chriſtian Faith) ftill buſted their heads about, accord- ing to their Education,and the praetice of the Fewiſh Dotors, and made the ſubje& of their Sermons, aid diſcourſes to the Aſſemblies of Chri-
ftians ; which is the thing the Apofile here declareth a corruption of
> Or Jinance of Preaching, and enveigheth againſt, chap. 6. 4. 2 Tim, 2, DD Tha op and 3. o. and willeth Preachers to avoid, and People to ziveno heed to them, as nothing tending to the building Chriſtians up in holineſs, which he here calleth otxedb way Oze, the building up of God, either fo 95 je&ively, Or efjictzntly, or by his command, becaule it is in God, viz. in the knowledge of God, and an increa(e in the Love of God, and other ſpiritual habits, or fr9m God, being wrought by him, and ſerving for his honour and glory, or according to his Will. 7 For he tells vs thisedifying can be no otherwiſe than i Faith, Preaching the Doftrine of the Goſpel, and embracing that which 1s the Dodtrine of Faith, a Do&rine of Divine Revelation, to which men muſt give
. their aſſent, becauſe of the authority of God revealing it. So as no
diſcourſes which are not founded in a divine Revelation,and to be prov-
ed from thence, can poſſibly tend to any building of God, which cannot ſtand in the 7/49" of M-, but muſt ftand #n the power of God, From this Text we may obſerve the vanity ao proneneſs of ſome perſons, even from the infancy of the Chir&,"to make up what they call Ser- mos of diſcourſes about Fables z Jdle Queſizons, and Sp-culartons, and Genealegies of which there is noend, the Teachers being able to bring
the minds of hearers to no reft about them, nor they tending to any
good and faving uſe, but meerly to ſhew mens tt and Parrs, And we may alſolearn, that this is no religious Preaching or Hearing, it being impoſſible men ſhould be under any religious oblizations to hear any but Prophets, that is, ſuch as reveal the divine Will, For other diſ-
courſes men in their Seaſons may hear them, or let them alone, and credit or not credit them as they ſee reaſon, . -
5 Now the * end of the commandment is charity # out of a pure heart , and of a good conſctence o, and of faith unfeigned p. ; |
m The word Tranſlated Commandment here is mgzyſeaiz, which rather ſignifies a particular Charge given by ſuperiours as to ſome thing, than a general Law, As 5, 25, and 16. 24. and ſo in this chapter, ver,
18, which inclincth me to think that though the propoſition be true of the whole Law of God, (for love is the fulfilling of th: Law,) and more eminently of the divine Dottrine in the Goſpel, (for the end and per- for. it aims at, and produces, is a pure ardent Love of God, and of men for his ſake, and of the Goſpel) yet it is rather here to be reſtrain- ed to the Commandment relating to Preaching, or diſcourſing the re- vealed Will of God, relating to mens Salvation, the end of which is doubtlels Charity,which ought to be fints operantys,the end of the work- man, what he ought to intend andaim at; and is finis operts the effect of the work, viz. the begetting in the Souls of people love ro God and their Neiphbour, neither of which can rationally be obtained by Preach- ers telling People idle Stories, and filling their heads with idle quefti- ons and ſpeculations, # W hich love to God and men muſt proceed.ftrom a clean, and holy, and fincere heart. o And a good and holy lite, when Conlcience doth not ſowrely refle& upon men for preſumptuous mil- carriazes. Which p muſt all be rooted in, and attended with a faith
unfeigned ; rooted in it, as Faith ſignifies a ſteady afſent to Divine Re-
velation ; attended with it,as it ſignifies, the Souls repoſe and reſt upon
Chrift for the fulfilling of the promiſes annexed to him that believes,
and liveth up to ſuch propoſitions. Theſe are the noble ends of the whole Law of God, and particularly of the charge, or command God hath given Miniſters as to Preaching,which can by no means be attain- ed, by Teachers diſcourſing Fables and endleſs Genealogies to people,
nor by Peoples attendance to ſuch diſcourſes; for they can only fill
peoples heads with notions and unprofitable queſtions which ſerve to gender ſtrife, and contention amongſt them, inſtead of Love either to God or Men, and lo to defile inſtead of purifying the Heart, and have no influence at a!l upon an Holy Life, all which can grow out of no root
but an unfeigned Haith,
t
aimed ar, ed alide unto * vain jangling /.
* chap. 6.
&, 20,
mandment, and from the end of which Commandment, from which
pure Heart, good Conſcience, and Faith unfeigned. r a5o@4zzy]es, the
word t1gnifieth to wander from a ſcope or mark, Some men elther pro- pounding to themſelves ends in their diſcourſes to people different from
the command concerning Preaching, and the true end of that, or at
leaſt wandring from that true end ; they have turned aſide. To doan action well, two things are neceflary, 1, The propounding to our (clves a right end, 2. A moving to it by due means and in right or- der ; who o faileth in either of thefe, can no more do an ation well, than he can ſhoot an Arrow well, that either eycth no mark, or level- leth his Arrow quite befides it, The Preachers refie&ed on by the A- poſtle, either never conlidered the true end of Preaching, or never re- garded It in theiraction; this made them turn atide from Theology to M 11e0l;gy, from Preackirg to Vain Fargiing, (ſo we tranſlate it, but) the word tignificth fooliſh ralkivg (fo we trantlate the adjeRive, T3110)
I. TIMOTHY.
(vis. that Timothy was Biſhop of that City,Metropo-|
worthy of perpetual obſervation by all in the office |.
6 From which q, ſome having || ſwerved r, have turn-
q From which things for the article is plural @y.)From which Com-
Chap. 1. Mh