Dottrine in his mind written in his heart, making his Diſcourſes conform to it, hþ The ſum of which form of ſonnd words he de- clareth to be Faith and Love, for all that the Goſpel teacheth, is either believing in the Lord Jeſus Chriſt,or keeping his Command- ments, which 1s the demonſtration of Love, Fohn 14. 15. or elſe the ſenſe may he this, Keep thy ſelf ſound in the Principles of Re- ligion, which thou haſt learned of me, b But do not think this e- nough without exerciſing Faith in Chriſt as thy Redeemer, and li- ving in obedience to his Commandments, Many an Orthodox Man may go to Hell, notwithſtanding his Orthodoxy.
14 That good thing which was committed to thee #, keep by the holy Ghoſt which dwelleth in us k.
# This is expounded by 1 Tim, 6. 20, he means the Nofrine of the Goſpel, or his Office in the publication of it ; be faithful in thy Minifterial Work; & To which purpoſe beg the aſſiſtance and ope- ration of the Holy Spirit, which dwelleth both in all Believers, and more particularly affifteth the Miniſters of the Goſpel, We can nei- ther keep our Minds ſound in the Faith, as to the Dottrine of it, nor our Souls ſteady in the exerciſes of Faith,'or Love, without the aſſiſtance of the Holy Spirit, which the Lord giveth to them that __ : and it abides in them, who do not vex, quench, grieve, or ren it. p
15 This thou knoweſt / that * all they which are *Ch.4.16,
in Aſia be turned away from me #7, of whom are Phy-
gellus and Hermogenes #.
I Probably as to ſome he had a perſonal knowledge of their Apo- ſtacy z as to others he knew it by information,which Pau} confirm- eth. m It ſeemeth unreaſonable to interpret 4 here of every indi« vidual, but many (as all oft ſignifieth in Holy Writ : ) Some inter- pret it of all the Jewiſh Proſelytes, others of thoſe of 4fz, who accompanied Paul to Rome, and there ſeeing his Sufferings apoſtati- ſed, others of many who ſtill abode in 42, where Timothy now was: theſe all, or many of them, deſerted Paul, either wholly caſt- ing off the Chriſtian Profeſſion ; or withdrawing themſelves from communion with Paul when they ſaw him a Priſoner, » Of theſe two we have no more ſaid in Holy Writ, and therefore can aflert
| 1PEr, 1.20, 2 Tight to it, 4 And in order to our obtaining of it, hath effettu-
| ally called, renewed, and ſanQifigd us. & Not for any Merits of ours, © But from his own free love purpoſing and decreeing eter- nal Salvation to us, with the means adequate to it, 4 To be ob- tained through the Merits and Mediation of Jeſus Chriſt, e Which purpoſe of his was before the Foundation of the World was laid, and therefore could not be according to our Works, but muſt be of his own Grace, Eph. 1. 4. Titus 3. 5.
Rom.16. 1O But * is now made manifeft by the appearing.
| 26, of our Saviour Jeſus Chriſt f, * who hath aboliſhed
1-26: geath 2, and hath brought life, and immortality to
16.54,55, light through the Goſpel h.
Heb, 2.14. f Which purpoſe of God in Chriſt Jeſus, was in a great meaſure hidden under the Old Teſtament, but by the coming of Chrift is made evident ; g for by his death he hath taken away the ſting, and power of Death, delivering us from that which is the ſecond Death. h And through the Doftrine of the Goſpel he hath made the Promiſes of Eternal Life plain and clear, which though exiſtent under the Law, yet were very obſcurely revealed,ſo as they lay out of the ſight of moſt men and women, but are now brought to light, ſo as he who runneth may read them, ,
1x Whereunto I am appointed a preacher #, and an
apoſtle k, and a teacher of the Gentiles /.
Z For the publication of which gracious Councel and rae of God thus made manifeſt by Chrift's coming, and of that Lite and Immortality, thus by the Goſpel brought to light ; God hath ap- pointed me as his cryer, k and ſent me immediately as his Meſſenger to make a publication of it, 1 and hath made the inftruQting of the Heathen my peculiar Provice, 1 Tim, 2. 7. ;
12 For * the which cauſe I alſo ſuffer theſe things mn, nevertheleſs I am not aſhamed n; for 1 know whom 1 IOrgruli- have || believedo,and I am perſwaded thathe is able to
. keep that which 1 have committed unto him againſt that day p.
m For the preaching and publiſhing of which Goſpel, or for the teaching of the Gentiles, I ſuffer theſe things, baing accuſed by the Jews as a ſeditious Perſon, ſtirring up the People, and by them de- livered to the Romans, and by them impriſoned, # Yet I am not
*Eph.3.1,
which I have committed unto him, in this, Text underſtood the Church or Body of Believers, othets underſtand the fruit and reward of his
meant, oux Eternal Salyation is in Chrift's keeping, I rather in- cline to the firſt notion, ſo it agreeth with 1 Per. 4. 19. God com- mits his/Goſpel to our Truft, who are Miniſters, x Tim. 6. 20, we according to the phraſe of Scripture, are ſaid to commit our Souls to him, Luk. 23. 46. 44s 7, 59. 1 am, faith Paul, inconcerned as to my Sufferings, I have intruſted God with all my Concerns in order to this Life, and that which is to come z and 1 know he is able to ſecure them, :
13 * Hold faſt the form of ſound words which thou haſt heard of me g in faith h, and love, which is in, Chriſt Jeſus þ.
8 By ſound words which he had heard from Paul, can be meant nothing but the Dotrine of the Goſpel, which as it is it ſelf pure, and conſiſtent with it ſelf, not rotten, one piece- of which will not hold with the other; ſo it tends to make Souls ſound, as to their
Ch.3.14,
aſhamed of my chains. 0 I have committed my ſelf to God, p and | I am out of doubt concerning God's ability to keep until the Day | of Judgment my,Soul, or my whole Concerns both tor this Life and |, another, which'T have by Faith committed to him. Some by that |
Labours and Suffering, Mr, Calvin would hare Life Eternal here|
nothing of them with any certainty. | 16 The Lord give mercy unto the houſe of Oneſi-
phorus o, for he oft refreſhed me p, and was not aſha-