The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Timothy — Section 35

tho metaphor Is, there can be no donbt that the idea 111 that, Instead or trifting with the Word, he was to go right lato and lay open the Divine truth it contRined. 111. WHY THE METHOD OP THE HERETIOS WAS TO BE AVOIDED. "But shun prorane babblings: for they will proceed farther in ungodliness, and their word will eat as doth a gangrene." The method of the heretics i11 characterized in keeping with whet has been already said. It was using empty speech, or speech without reference to reality. That, applied to Divine thing,, was necessarily prorane. Its natural association was God-dishonouring representations, operating against devout feelings and corresponding practice. This ungodly tendency had not taken its worst form. The heretics woul, yet aay worse things. 'fheir word was of the nature of a gangrene, that eats into the life, and, always in an aggravated form, spreads over the spiritual body. IV. 'l'wo HEBETIOB NAMED. "Of whom is Hyrnen111us and Philetus; men whu con• cerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already, and overthrow the faith of some." The way in which theae men were heretics, or c!arted llllide from the truth as the m,uk, was by applying the method deacribed to the doctrine of the resurrection. Under the inftuence of an incipient Gnosticism, in which the body was regarded ea evil, they got rid of the reference of the resurrection to the body by quibbling about the word. The word was simply "rising again,n and its meaning was sufficiently met by what had alrearly taken place in a Christian believer, viz. the rising of the soul to newness of life. With their verbal skill, they were succeeding in the case of some. But what was sncces1 to these dialecticians was to those with whom they succeeded nothing less tha11. the sn bversion of their fa, th, so essential ia Ule resurrection of the body to Christianity. V. THE STABILITY OJ' THB CllUII.OB. "Howbeit the firm foundation of God standetb." Though the faith of some is overturned, the Church stanrleth. The Church is not thought of as e. completed structure, which it will not be till ages still have passed. But it is thought of as a substructure in a satisfactory state, as having, indeed, been la.id by God. It had that firmness which ie essential for the commencement of a building. As firm, it was standing, notwithstanding the strain to which it had been subjected. As firm, it promised to stand a lon~ time, and the promise has not been belied. For upon the foundlltion part of the building much has been laid since, and we have no reason to foar its overthrow, but rather increased reason to anticipate its completion. The Cl,,urch is a stnsdure in conner.tion with which there ia sol(fTTl,n engagement. "Having this seaL" The seal on the ll'IU)Structure has two Bida. 1. The obveru, ur Divi,,e side. "The Lord kuoweth them that are his." The language from this point to the close of the twenty- first verse seems to have been suggested by e. memorable passage in Jewish history, recorded in the sixteenth of Numbers, viz. the rebellion of Kore.h, Dathlln, and Abira.m. These men charged Moses and Aaron with taking too much upon them in acting, the one as prophet by pre-eminence and the other as priest by pre-emiuence. 'l'he reply of Moses, as given in the Septuagint, was that God knew them that were his, i4 would maintain their cause against opposen1, as he did signally in that case, in causing the earth to open and swallow up these men anrl their company. 2. The Nllll'IW, or human llitu. "And, Let every one that na.meth the Ne.me of the Lord depart from unrighteousness." The Jewish congregation we■ composed of them that named the Name of God, ie. that professed to worship him as the Most Holy One, and to obey his commands. In the case referred to, the Divine call to the whole congregation was," Depart from the tents of those wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest ye be consumed in all their sins.n The application is the following : Let Timothy be comfort&i by the thought that the Lord would judge between him and such opposers as Hyraenl!!us and Phdetus, who wonld not ho able to move the substructure tha.t had been laid. On the other hand, let Ohristie.n congregations be warned. They are composed of those who name the Name of the Lord, i.e. profess faith in Christ a.s their Saviour, and promise obedience to his laws. lu the Christian religion, even more than in the Jewish religion, unrighteousness appears as receiving terrible condemnation. Let not, then, e. Christian hue anything to do with departure from the truth and fellowship with ungodlinesa. VI. MrxED BOOIETY. 11 Now ln a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some unto honour, and some unto dis- lw11our." In the Jewish Church (whioh la called the hoWle of God) there were faithful ""d unfaithful, with degreea of faitbfnlneu and deireea of unfaithfulueaa_ OOlllfKed here,  38 THE SECOND EPISTLE TO TIMOTHY. [en. n. 1-26.