trolled, our hope of the Divine support will unceasingly afford us. The manifest tokens vouchsafed by the Almighty, in all ages of the world, that the work which is really His shall ultimately prosper in His hands, will lead us, first, carefully to examine whether it be indeed His work in which we are engaged, and then resolutely to persevere in it, by means as pure and righteous as the end to be attained, in full assurance of the divine co-operation. This is neither fanaticism nor presumption. This gives no warrant to error, however widely propagated, or eagerly received, to boast of its achievements; neither does it discourage truth, however menaced, or for a while depressed. The appeal is made, not to a fallible and often misjudging world; not to human policy, strength, or numbers; but to a Judge infallible, omniscient, and omnipotent ;-to Him who can bring light out of darkness, and strength out of weakness;—to Him who hath given to his Church the assurance, "Lo! I am with you "alway, even unto the end of the world;" and the promise, that "the gates of hell shall "not prevail against it.” SERMON IV. 2 TIM. ii. 23. But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. 66 66 66 THE caution here given by St. Paul to Timothy is thrice repeated, with some variety of phrase, in the course of the two short Epistles addressed to him. In the beginning of the First Epistle" he exhorts him not to 'give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith." In the latter end of the same Epistle" he admonishes him to withdraw from those who are "proud, knowing nothing, but doting about "questions and strifes of words;" and to avoid "profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science, falsely so called." In this Second Epistle, besides the caution in a 1 Tim. i. 4. b 1 Tim. vi. 4, 20. 66 2 Tim. ii. 16. the text, he again enjoins Timothy to "shun "profane and vain babblings." In his Epistle to Titus also we meet with a similar 66 injunction; "Avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings "about the Law; for they are unprofitable " and vain." : There can be no doubt that St. Paul saw especial occasion for these reiterated admonitions, at the time when these Epistles were written and much labour has been expended by the learned in ecclesiastical antiquity, in endeavouring to ascertain what kind of questions these might be which the Apostle was so desirous to discountenance. This it has not been found easy to determine, since the several epithets by which St. Paul characterises such questions are applicable to very many subjects of disputation; and although Timothy and Titus doubtless well understood to what particular controversies they had reference, conjecture must now supply the place of direct proof or evidence, as to their specific application. The remarkable expressions used by the Apostle may, however, serve to throw some light upon this inquiry. The "fables and endless genealogies" refer, perhaps, to the fabulous inventions of d Titus iii. 9. heathen poets and philosophers, respecting the origin of their deities; inventions, which seem to have given rise to many of those extravagant notions concerning the attributes and the emanations of the Godhead, which distinguished the Gnostics of that and the succeeding age, and were afterwards adopted by Jewish teachers in their systems of cabbalistic theology. These, being altogether visionary speculations, and resting on no certain data of faith or science, the Apostle might well denominate ἀπαιδεύτους ζητήσεις, uninstructive or unedifying researches, researches unconnected with sound learning of any kind, unprofitable, and vain. With equal truth might they also be called "profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of 66 science, falsely so called." And whether the censure was directed against the Gnostics, or against the Judaizing converts of that day, is now comparatively a matter of little moment. But probably we shall not be far from the truth, if we suppose that St. Paul, in his general censure of "foolish and unlearned ques❝tions," intended to comprehend other prevailing errors, as well as these, both among the Jewish and the Gentile converts. When he deprecated "contentions and strivings 66 "about the law," he might have the Jewish controversies more immediately in view. When he directed his admonitions against profane and vain babblings, and oppositions "of science falsely so called," he might advert to some frequent topics of disquisition in the schools of Heathen philosophy. And when he reprobated, without any such specific description, "strifes of words" and "perverse disputings," we may conceive the reproof to attach to all, of whatever sect or denomination, who availed themselves of verbal obscurities or ambiguities, to promote error and dissension. 66 Without further inquiry, therefore, into these local or temporary circumstances, the Apostle's admonition may be applied to discountenance frivolous and unedifying controversies of whatever kind, and thus to cut off one of the most fertile sources of heresy and contention. By controversies of this description, Christianity has been too often unnecessarily exposed to obloquy; and the strength of her best advocates has not unfrequently been wasted in maintaining positions, which, if not indefensible, were yet not worth the sacrifices which the defence required. With these evils, the friends as well as the adversaries of the truth have perhaps |