HOMILETICS. Ver11. 1-14.-Endurance the lot of Christ's ministers. Continual endurance of evil, whether directed specially against himself, or generally thwarring the cause which he has most at heart, is the ordinary lot of the minister of Jesus Christ exercising bis ministry in an evil world. And in order to be ready to encounter this evil, actively or passively, as the case may require, a complete concentration of purpose on the fulfilment of bis ministry is absolutely required. If the heart is divided between the ministry of God's Word and the enjoyment of an easy life, rhere will be a constant temptation to avoid those various forms of "hardship" which properly belong to the campaign of the soldiers of Christ. Troubles will be shirked rather than endured ; and ministerial duties will be made to stand on one side when they interfere with the inclinations of the moment. Labour will be evacled when the soul calls for ease. The determined struggle, and the sturdy stand against evil, whether in his own heart or in the world around him, will be postponed to a more convenient season, while weak compromises and sinful compliances take their place in the immediate present. At the same time, contradiction and opposition, crooks and crosses of various kinds, untoward i,vents, troubles, disappnintments, and difficulties of all sorts, will be met, not in the spirit of Christian fortitude, not in the spirit of Christian meekness and patience, but with petulant complaints, or with roughness and ill tem)'er, as running against the current of the love of ease in the soul. It is, therefore, i11cumbent upon the servant of God to be wholly given up to the ministry which he bas received. He must resolutely shake off tho entanglements of the aifairs of this life, that he may please him who called him to be a soldier. He must feel, "My work in life, my mission, the dispensation committed to me, is to advance the kingdom of Christ in the worlcl. I am set by my Lord and Master for the defence of the gospel-to preach it, to vindicate it, to uphold it against all gainsayers, to adorn it with my own life, to use my utmost endeavour for its maintenance, its propagation, its triumphs. I must no more shrink from obloquy, from labour, from suffering, from troubles, or, if need be, from bonds and death, in the fulfilment of this work and ministry, than the soldier shrink.a from fatigue and t1xposure, from hunger and hardship, from wouncls and from death, in bravely discharging the duties of his warfare." For his encouragement in carrying out this resolve, he has the example or his Lord who suffered unto death and was nised again from the dead. He has the example of the apostles who endured troubles and bonds and imprisonment, and yet sa,v the gospel which they preached triumphing over all opposition. He has the promises of God assuring life, and a kingdom,t.o those who suffer and die with Christ. And so, accepting endurauce as the portion of Christ's servants, he pursues his ministry diligently, joyfully, and steadfastly, throws his whole strength into it, and looks forward with an unwavering hope to ob&ain tht1 salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
Vere. 15-26.-The skilful workmaA. Besides the concentration of yurpose, ~u<l Lhe willingness to endure, which an, uece1!lllry to the faithful min.iater o Christ, two 26 THE SECOND EPISTLE TO TIMOTHY. [oB. n. l-26.
other qualificat inns are no less needed. The one is skill in his work; the other is gentleness and pat.ience in ;lealing with those that oppose themselves. By ekill in his work we rn<'an both thf' knowing what to avoid and ehun, and the effective handling of the \\" ord of truth. The minister of Christ who wastes his time, aurl spends his strength in f,,olish and unlc,arned questions and profane babblinge; who strives about woras to no profit; who dabbles with philosophy and vain deceit, after the traditions of men, and not after Christ; who intrudes into things which he bath not seen, brindng in strange doctrines and carnal ordinances, and laying burdens upon the consci,·nces of hi, hearers, which God has not laid ;-however earnest he may be, and howev,·r willing he may be to endnre trouble in defen<'e of his teaching, ia not a workmau approvt'd unto God, or one that needeth not to be ashamed of hia work. He builds upon the foundation hay and stubble, instead of gold and costly atones. lfot tbe skilful workman shuns this. He will not allow himself to be enticed into unprofitable controversies, or fritter away his zeal upon things of no moment. But he bends all the powers of his mind to divide rightly the Word of truth. Holy Scrip- ture is his model. What is made much of in Scripture he makes much or in his teaching. He endeavours 10 preserve the relative proportion of doctrines which be finds in the inspired pages; to treat of doctrine and of practice in the 118.me way that they are treated of in the Word-to speak as do the oracles of God. His aim is neither to exaggerate nor to attenuate; to speak soberly, but n9t to speak coldly; to say nothing that ought not to be said, and to leave unsaid nothing that ought to be said. Thu.s will he be a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, "rightly dividing the Word of truth." The other qualification is scarcely less important. "The Lord's servant must not strive." He must meet contradiction, opposition, gainsaying, with ge11t\eness, meekness, and love. The voice of his Master was not heard in the street, lifted up i11 anger, or crying out in wrangling and disputes. He neither reviled his revilers nor threatened his persecutors. His servant must be like him. Loving, forbearing, patient, apt to teach, with a burning desire to save his opponents, he must au on his work, despairing of none, wearied out by none, praying for all, if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth, and bring them out of the captivity of sin into the glorious liberty of the children of God.