form diligently the feveral parts of his minifterial office, the particulars of which you may read at your leifure; and to urge him the more ftrongly to attend to this charge, he fuggefts to him, that it was delivered by him as a dying man; and that this was the last time he might expect to have any charge, counsel, directions, and inftructions from him; for, fays he, I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand; phrases very fignificant, and very expreffive of his death: the former of them reprefents his death as a facrifice, I am ready to be offered, or to be poured forth as a libation or drink-offering; not by way of facrifice, to make atonement for fin, either his own or others, this he knew was made by the facrifice of Chrift; but by way of martyrdom, as a victim to the cause of truth, for the fake of the gospel, and the confirmation of it and if laying down his life would be of any fervice to the interest of Christ and his people, he was ready to do it with all chearfulness and pleasure; as he elsewhere fays, yea, and if I be offered upon the facrifice and service of your faith, I joy and rejoice with you all. The latter phrase, the time of my departure is at hand, is an expreffion of death in a very familiar manner; a way of speaking used by our Lord, and by our apostle in another place'; fignifying, that death is not the annihilation of men, there is a state of existence after it; it is only a departing elsewhere: it is indeed a diffolution of the union between foul and body, an analysis, as the word in the text is, or a refolution of the body into its original principles; a departure out of one world into another; a removing, as it were, from one house to another, from an earthly houfe of this tabernacle, to an bouse not made with hands, eternal in the heavens; for which there is a time fixed, beyond which life cannot pafs: and this the apostle, with respect to himself, knew was at band; and which he might conclude, either from his years, or rather from the state and fituation in which he was, being in bonds for the gospel, and having been brought before Nero a second time; and perhaps the sentence of death was paffed upon him by that Emperor, and the dead warrant was come for his execution, or at least he foon expected it; or he might know his death was near, by an impulse upon his mind, and a particular revelation from God; and in the chearful view of it he expreffes the words firft read. In which may be observed, I. A pleafing reflection on his paft conduct, or on what through the grace of God he had been enabled to do. First, He had fought a good fight. Secondly, Had finished his course. Thirdly Had kept the faith. II. A delightful and comfortable profpect, and the firm belief he had of future happiness; which happiness is, Firft, Expreffed by a crown, by VOL. I. a Phil. ii. 17. 4 G a crown b John xiii. 1. Phil. i. 23. a crown of righteousness, by a crown laid up, and that in particular for him. Secondly, Of which happiness he was affured, that it would be given him; and by whom, the Lord, the righteous Judge; and in what manner, by way of gift; and at what time, at that day. And, Thirdly, For the encouragement of common faints and believers in Christ to expect the fame, he adds, and not unto me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing; the appearing of Christ. The apostle looked backward to what was paft, and forward to what was to come. Here is, I. A pleafing reflection on his paft conduct, or on what through the grace of God he had been enabled to perform; this he could not do before, but now he could a minifter of Chrift, whilft he is fighting with enemies, running his race, and difcharging his truft, cannot ftop, and is not at leisure to make such a reflection, nor can he with propriety do it; but when all is over, when the battle is fought, and the victory got, when the race is ended, and he is come to the goal, is in fight of the prize, and juft ftretching out his hand to receive the crown; and when he has faithfully discharged his truft, and is delivering it up; then he can, and not till then, with pleasure exprefs himself in the following manner the apostle does. First, That he had fought a good fight; or rather, the good fight, as in 1 Tim. vi. 12. or the fight, that good fight; for the article is doubled, which makes it the more emphatical. The prefent state of life is a state of warfare, in which every man is engaged: is there not a warfare to man on earth? as the words may be rendered, fob vii. 1. there is; especially for a chriftian man, whose warfare is as good as accomplished, as it most certainly will be; and more efpecially for a minister of the gospel, who is in peculiar circumftances, and is directed by peculiar means to war a good warfare, for which he has weapons peculiarly fitted and adapted: the weapons of our warfare, of us minifters, are not carnal, but mighty through God, to answer particular purposes; for the demolition of Satan's kingdom, and the spread and enlargement of the kingdom of Chrift: every christian is a foldier; all the Lord's people are volunteers in Chrift's service; thy people fhall be willing, or volunteers, in the day of thy power, or in the day of thine army, when that is collected together and muftered; but a minister of the gospel is particularly called to endure, and he ought to endure hardness, as a good foldier of Jefus Christ. Minifters of the word are meant by the valiant men of Ifrael; who guard the bed of Solomon, the church, and are well accoutred for that service; having their loins girt with the girdle of truth; their feet shod with ₫ 1 Tim. i. 18. 2 Cor. x. 4. • Τον αγώνα τον καλον ηγώνισμαιο f 2 Tim. ii. 3. with the preparation of the gospel of peace; and every man his fword on his thigh; the fword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: and being thus armed, their business is to fight the battles of the Lord; to play the men for their God, and the cities of their God; for Chrift, and for his intereft: and, as they have enemies in common with other Chriftians, and by whom they are more especially affaulted, they fight with them. 1. With the corruptions of their own hearts, those fleshly lusts which war against the foul; ftriving against fin", or acting the part of an antagonist with it, even indwelling fin: and the great apoftle Paul, though fo holy a man, was not exempt from this combat. He found a law in his members, warring against the law of his mind: he found himself under a neceffity of keeping under his body, the body of fin, and not to make provision for the flesh to fulfil the lufts of it; but to keep a ftrict eye and hand over it, and to use a kind of fevere difcipline with it, left whilft he preached to others, he himself should be a caft-away* : but now the conflict was over; and he, being on the fhores of eternity, faw those spiritual enemies, the Egyptians who had diftreffed him, all flain and dead, and found himself a triumphant conqueror over them. 2. With Satan, and his principalities and powers. None of the faints in this life are free from Satan's temptations; nay, generally speaking, the most eminent, fruitful, and useful of them, are most furiously affaulted by him. Jofeph was a fruitful bough by a well; and the archers fhot at him, and forely grieved him, though his bow abode in ftrength'. At those who are the most eminent for grace and usefulness, he lets fly his fiery darts thick and faft: the apoftle Paul did not efcape his buffetings; a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan was fent to buffet him "; he had many combats with him: we wrestle, I and other ministers, as well as the reft of faints, against principalities, against powers", even the powers of darkness, Satan and his angels; and minifters have their peculiar temptations, with which they are affaulted by him; many are the difficulties, obftructions and impediments, he throws in their way; our apoftle was not clear of them: we would have come to you, fays he, writing to the Theffalonians (even I Paul) once and again, but Satan hindered us°; but now the battle with him was over, and Satan was bruised under his feet. 3. With the world, the reproaches and perfecutions of it, and a great fight of afflictions in it: and particularly minifters have to do with false teachers in it, who refift the truth, as Jannes and Jambres refifted Mofes. Some think fuch as these were the beasts at Epbefus the apostle fought with; men, comparable to beasts, wolves in Theeps clothing, which entered the flock, and did damage to it by their pernicious doctrines; with whom the apoftle had difputes in the 4 G.2 fchool Cor. ix. 27. 1 Thefs. ii. 18. fchool of Tyrannus, whilft he refided in thofe parts; though I fee no reason to depart from the literal fenfe of the words: yet however it is certain, the apostle met with fuch men of corrupt minds, more or lefs, wherever he came; to whom he gave place, no, not for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with the churches; but now his contefts and tharp difputes with them were at an end. This fight is called a good fight, and elsewhere the good fight of faith: the fight of faith, becaufe faith, as a doctrine, is what is fought for; the Philippians are exhorted by the apoftle to stand faft in one fpirit, ftriving together, with him and with one another, for the faith of the gospel; and, as Jude's phrase is, contend earnestly, even to an agony, for the faith which was once delivered unto the faints; and faith, as a grace, is the weapon faints fight with, efpecially with Satan, whom refift, stedfast in the faith': and it is called a good fight, because it is in a good caufe, the caufe of God and truth; fought under a good captain, Chrift, the captain of our falvation; under the banner of him, the Lord of hofts; and with good weapons, the whole armour of God, armour of proof, than which none is better, and which always iffues well, it ends in victory. It is faid of Camillus, that he fought many and good fights; that is, many famous battles; but none fo famous as this, fought by our apostle and others; in which the christian combatants are always conquerors, and more than conquerors, through Chrift, who has loved them. Secondly, The apostle with pleasure obferves, that he finished his course; which is what he had wished for, and cared not what he met with, fo that he could but finish it with joy; and now it was done by which may be meant, either the courfe of his life, of his days; the time of his departure was. near; he was just going the way of all the earth, as Joshua expreffes it; his age was departed, as Hezekiab fays; his days were extinct, and the grave was ready for him, as Job thought was his cafe; his laft fands were now dropping: or elfe his christian race, called a course, in allufion to the Grecian games, in which men ran races, and to which the apoftle frequently alludes, particularly in 1 Cor. ix. 24, &c. and in Phil. iii. 13, 14. know ye not that they which run in a race, run all—so run, that ye may obtain: the ftadium, or race-plot, which reaches from the place of ftarting to the goal, in which the chriftian racer runs, is this world; what anfwers to the white line between the two terms, within which the racers were to run, and according to which they steered their courfe, that they might not go in and out, but move ftraight forward, is Chrift; and who is the mark that is always to be kept in fight; and the prize run for, is the high calling of God in Chrift, or the heavenly glory: or rather, by his course may be meant the courfe of his miniftry; thus John's miniftry is called his course, which he fulfilled; and fo P Phil. i, 27. 9 Jude 3. Peter v. 9. • Πολλές και καλός αγώνας ηγωνίσατο, Plutarch, in Vita Camilli, p. 129. a phrafe fimilar to this in the text. Acts xx. 24. fo the apostle calls his, that I might finish my courfe with joy, and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jefus, and now it was just finishing; he was come to the end of his line, to Rome, where he was to bear his laft teftimony for Christ all these three may be taken into the fenfe of the paffage, the course of his life, his christian race, and the course of his miniftry; for they were all finished together. W Thirdly, The apostle obferves, with like pleafure, that he had kept the faith: meaning, not the grace of faith; for though that is an abiding grace, and cannot be loft; is much more precious than gold, because that may perish, but this cannot, yet it is not in any man's own keeping; it is preferved and fupported by Chrift, through his powerful mediation and interceffion; who, as he prayed for Peter, fo he prays for all his minifters, and all his faints, that their faith fail not; he is the author, and he is the finisher of it: nor is a profeffion of faith meant; for though believers ought, and they are encouraged to hold faft the profeffion of their faith, from the priesthood of Chrift, and the promises of God; yet this is what formal profeffors may do, and the foolish virgins did; they took their lamps of profeflion, and trimmed them too, fo that they looked bright and fplendid as to outward fhow; and they held and kept them likewife until the coming of the bridegroom: rather the doctrine of faith is intended, the glorious gofpel of the bleffed God, which was committed to the trust of the apostle; a facred depofitum lodged in his hands, which he was careful to keep, and had kept; what he exhorted Titus and Timothy to do, he had done himself, namely, to hold fast the faithful word; to bold fast the form of found words, and keep the good thing committed to them; this he had done, and had not fuf- fered the gospel to be wrenched out of his hands, neither through the force of furious perfecutors, nor through the art and fophiftry of falfe teachers: unless it can be thought his fidelity is meant; God, when he put him into the miniftry, counted him faithful, having made him fo; and through the grace of God, he maintained his integrity, kept his fidelity; which appeared in declaring the whole counfel of God, and in keeping back nothing that was profitable to the faints; and he continued faithful unto death; and now, henceforth Moon, it remained, and nothing elfe remained for him to do, but to receive the crown of life and righteoufnefs. Which brings me to confider, II. The delightful and comfortable profpect, and firm belief the apostle had of his future happiness; which, First, Is defcribed by a crown, by a crown of righteousness, by a crown laid. up, and that for him in particular. 1. It Acts xiii. 25. and xx. 24. * Titus i. 9. 2 Tim. i. 13, 14, w Ads xxiii. 11. * Luke xxii. 32. Heb. xii..2.. |