The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Timothy — Section 36

the one cl&1111 to vessels or gold and of silver, and the other cla~s to Tes~els of wood and of earth-vessels put to honourable uses and ves~els put to dishono11rnble uses. In the f0rme1 clasM were Moses and Aaron, and in the latter class Kornh, Di\than, an<l Abiram, as shown in the d11y of tri11l. The Christian Church is also a great house, presided over, llll we are told, not by a servant, but a Son. "And Moses iudee<l was faithful in all God's house 11s a servant, for a testimony of those things which were afterward to be spoken; but Ch1ist as a Son, over God's house; whose house 11.re we, if we hold fast our bolrlness and the glorying of our hope firm unto the end." The Church is meant to be a pure sodety, but it is impossible under present con<litions to have this realized to the fullest extent. In the apostolic circle around Christ there were vessels of gold and vessele of silver--of superior use and of inferior use in the service of the Master; but there was also shown to be a vessel of more than ordinary baseness of waterial put to the most dishonourable use. In the Church as it was forming there were men and women with gold and silver in their natnres, "who having lands or houses sold them and laid \he prices down at the apostles' fret;" but there were also Ananias and Sapphira, whose earthliness moved them to keep back part ef the price. So while Paul was of gold use, w~ may S11Y, at that period of the Church's history, and Tilllothy compara- tivel,r of ~ilver use, Hymenams and Philetus belonged to the other category, having nothing better than wood in them, and put to no honourable use. VIL PURGATION. "If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sa.nctified, meet for the Master's nse, prepared unto every good work.~ There was a purgation of the congregation of Israel in connection with the rebellion that bas been referred to. Every Israelite was to get up from the tabernacle of Korab, Dathan, and Abiram; that was the condition of his being classed among the pure-of his being, according to the language formerly used, a vessel unto honour. We may think of the censers used by the two hundred and fif'ty of Korah's company; their sacredness was recognized by their being taken out of the fire, and put to another sacred use. "The censers of those sinners against their own souls, let them make them broad plates for a covering of the altar." The same thing has to take place in the Curistian Church. A member of a Christian congregation is not to have fellowship with such subverters as Hymemeus and Philetus were, or with those, whether subverted or net aa to creed, who engage in ungodly practices. He is not even to throw himself into the society of the merely indifferent. Thue only can he be a vessel unto honour. Three things are 1111,uJ, about him who is a vessel unto honour. They turn upon the idea of usefulness; for that is essential to a vessel. The first has reference to an act of con- secration. 'l'he wxmd has reference ro a use the Master has for the vessel. The third has reference to a course of preparation for the use. Christians are &et apart to holy UBell. This is partly their own act, in the dedication of themselves to God; and partly the Divine act in the sprinkling of the blood of Christ and anointing of the Holy Ghost. There is a use the Master has for every Christian. This use may be said to be (distributively) every good work. A Christian can be turned to more uses than a par- ticular kind of vessel. It rather needs all kinds of 11acred vessels to express his useful- ness. His preparation, theu, is no simple matter; it cannot be carried through in a day or a year. In and through experience, embracing our own exercise of soul and the Divine blessing, we acquire habitudes for various kinds of service, which are not always in actual requisition, but may at any time be in requisition. Let us, then, be in such a state of preparation that the Master of the house can, as it were, take us up, and use us for whatever work he has to be d, •ne. Vlll. Pul!E FE1'LOWBHIP. "But flee youthful luets, and follow after righteousness, faith, love, peace, with them that call ou the Lord out of a pure heart.'' In this punctuation peace is not specially connected with what followij. The idea is certainly, i-ven from the context, pure fellowship. Timothy was to act his part well in the Christian society with which he was connected. He had yet youth on bis side, and, whil,. that had its larg11 possibilities of service, it bad also its risks. It had fiery i111pulses, from which even a youthful minister was not exempt, and by giving way to which the Christian society would be seriously injured. Let him flee to a distance from li1a peculiar temptations; on the other hand, let him be in close purHnit of the virtues ou which pure fellowship depends. '!'here is that tiniversni virtue, righteousness, which 11,ay lJc tl,uught ol as the ohservance of the Divine rules. Then there isfaith,or reliauce  OH, UI. 1-17.] THE SECOND EPISTLE TO TIMOTHY. 39