[86] SERMON III. I TIM. iii. 16. Without Controversy, great is the Mystery of SERM. S T. Paul, at the writing of this Epiftle to Timothy, was in hopes of an Opportunity of paying him a Visit in Perfon speedily, in order to give him fome Instructions and Advice with Relation to his Government of the Church at Ephesus, over which he himself had appointed him Bishop not long before. But not knowing whether the Holy Spirit (by whom he was absolutely guided in all his Travels) might not order him some other Course; he thinks proper, whilst he is writing to him, to infert some Directions concerning the Persons whorn he would have him make choice of for the Work of the Ministry. These he would have, to a 1 III. a good degree, exemplary and knowing. For SERM. since the Christian Religion is a Mystery, and a Mystery of Godliness; fince it contains nothing but what is holy and pure, and yet what it contains is of a Nature immenfely deep and profound; it is not fit the preaching of it should be intrusted either with unholy or unskilful Hands. St. Paul therefore directs that those, who are appointed to this Employment, should be blameless as to their Lives, and not Novices as to their Faith; that they have a good Report of them which are without the Church, and be apt in teaching them that are within; that they be such, in a Word, as are able to hold the Mystery of Faith, and to hold it also in a good Confcience; fince they that lose the one are apt also to make Shipwrack of the other. And these things (faith the Apostle) write 1 unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly, to instruct thee more fully; But if I tarry long, or come not at all, that thou mayst know, from these Hints, how thou oughtest to behave thy self (and particularly with regard to the choice of Minifters) in the House of GOD, which is the Church, not of Idols, but of the Living GOD, and which is alfo the Pillar and Ground of the Truth; as it is only the Church which, under G4 III. SERM. under the Guidance and Influence of the Holy Ghost, can maintain and support it *. As the Truth therefore will be propagated either pure or corrupt, according as the Persons, whom thou deputest to this Office, shall be qualified and disposed; thou seest what reason I have to press thee to be cautious in the choice of them; especially fince without Controversy, fince it is on all hands allowed, that this Truth, this Mystery of Godliness is very great; the Articles of our Religion being of * Some conceiving that the same thing cannot properly be called both a House and a Pillar too, and observing that the Apostles, and other eminent Members of the Church are called Στύλοι, or Pillars in the New Testamenta; and that Martyrs are also so called by Eufebius b, and that one of them particularly is by the fame Historian called σύλος κὶ ἱδραίωμα, (the very Expression which St. Paul here uses ;) they therefore conclude that the Apostle means Timothy by the Pillar and Ground of the Truth, in this Place: So that they would have the 15th verse, by the help of a Parenthesis, run thus But if 1 tarry long, that thou mayst know how thou oughtest to behave thy felf in the House of God (which is the Church of the Living God) thou that art the Pillar and Ground of the Truth. I shall leave the Reader to take which Interpretation pleases him best; and only observe that if the Words are to be understood of Timothy, the Connection must hold thus, Thou that art the Pillar and Ground of the Truth, on whom therefore it lyes to make choice of Perfons fit and able to preach and propagate it; efpecially fince without Controverfy, &c, a Gal. ii. 9. Rev. iii. 12. b Hift. Ecclef. 1. 6. c. 4. p. 306. Edit. Reading. c ibid. 1. 5. c. 1. p. 201, fo III.' so high a Nature, that the strongest human SERM. Capacity or Reason can never wholly com prehend them all: As let me but enumerate a few of the Particulars, and thou wilt soon be convinced. They teach us that the eternal Son of GOD, GOD equal with the Father, was manifest in the Flesh, justified in the Spirit, feen of Angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the World, received up into Glory. This I apprehend to be the Meaning of the Words, and that the Sense of them is to be thus connected with the foregoing. And if so, one would think three Inferences might be drawn from the whole, not easily to be opposed : viz. First, That the Person that was incarnate for our Salvation, was truly, properly, and essently, Divine. For it was GOD (faith my Text) that was manifest in the Flesh. Secondly, That the Manner of this Incarnation, together with its Consequences, is wholly inexplicable, mysterious, and incomprehensible. For without Controversy great (faith the Apostle) is the Mystery of Godliness. Notwithstanding which it follows, Thirdly, From the Occafion of the Words, that the Doctrine it self is necessary to be preached 2 1 SERM. preached to, and to be believed by, the PeoIII. ☑ple. These things write I unto thee that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thy felf in the House of God. But now, how naturally foever each of these Heads may follow from the Text as I have opened it; it is yet well known that we have Men amongst us, that are ready to controvert every one of them. And indeed it is hard to find a Text entirely free from all Oppofition: though none, I think, has harder Fate than this which I have chosen for the Subject of my Discourse. It consists but of two short Propositions in the whole; and Endeavours are used to wrest both of them from us. In the one they reject, GOD, entirely from the Text, by which they would deprive us of the first Inference we would draw from it; in the other they give a Turn to the Sense of the Word, MYSTERY, which would as effectually overthrow the Foundation of the other two. But the present Reading is sufficiently confirmed, not only by the Unintelligibleness of the Words without it *, but alfo by the universal Consent of all Copies of this Epistle, in the Original Lan * See Milbourn's Mysteries in Religion vindicated. p. 66. |