1 Tim. 1. 8, 9.
THis Epistle to Timothy may be called, Paul’s1 Directory for the Church of God: and, in the first place, he enjoyneth Timothy, to preserve the Truth against all false teachers, as he himselfe doth in all his Epistles. Though he derived much hatred upon his person thereby, yet this was his comfort and glory, as Hierome wrote to Austin, when he had vindicated the Truth against Pelagians, Quod signum majoris gloriae est, omnes haeretici te detestantur: It is a signe of thy greater glory, that all heretiques hate thee. His injunction to Timothy begins, ver. 3. Charge them, not […] Erasmus translates it, not to follow another doctrine, as if it did belong to the followers: but the words afterwards [Teachers of the Law] doe plainly refute that. Now the word may be extended both to the matter (as some) to teach no other thing; or to the manner (as others) not to teach in another way: Not to teach nova, new things; no, nor yet novè, after a new manner. The rule is, Qui fingit nova verba, nova gignit dogmata: And it was Melancthons wish, that men did not onely teach the same things, but in iisdem verbis, in iisdem syllabis, in the same very words, and syllables.
The second part of injunction is higher then the former: Though they doe not teach other things, yet they must not spend their gifts in an uselesse way; as, to give heed to fables: This they apply to the Jewes, who had a world of fictions. So Tertullian of Valentinus, Multas introduxit fabulas; we see here the word fable in an ill sense: Therefore Grotius cannot be excused, who calleth our Saviours Parables fables, as that of the Prodigall who spent his portion, Haec sabula (saith he) nos decet, quod omnes ortu sunt filii Dei, where both his words and matter are very offensive to the truth. It is true, we finde the Fathers, Gregory Nazianzen, and others, use sometimes a fable in their Orations, to denote some morall matter; but such the Jewes did not use. As they must not give heed to fables, so neither to endlesse genealogies. We see a good use made of genealogies in the Scriptures, but here is reproved the sinfull use of them; as those Grammarians among the Heathens, that spent their time about Hecuba’s mother, or Achilles pedegree, and what it was that the Syren’s sung: and these he calls endlesse, because vaine curiosity is more unruly then the waves of the sea; it hath no limiting, Hitherto shalt thou goe, and no further. Although some referre genealogy not so much to persons as things, for that the Jewes called genealogy, when one thing was fained to flow from, and, as it were, to be begotten of another; therefore (saith one) Paul, ver. 5. gives a short, but profitable genealogy, when he makes a good conscience to flow from a faith unfained. Now mark, the Apostle condemneth all these, because they doe not edifie. The shell-fish among the Jewes was accounted uncleane, because it had but a little meat, and a great deal of labour to get it: and this is true of all doctrines, which have no profit in them. The Apostle therefore tells us, what is the true use of the Law, the end of the precept. Scultetus, who hath it out of Chrysostome, makes […], not to be the law, but the ministry, or preaching; and so the Apostle useth the word, v. 3. But grant it be so, yet they all agree, he speaks of the Law strictly taken afterwards. The Apostle therefore, reproving these false teachers, that did turn bread into stones, and fish into serpents, the good law into unprofitablenesse, lest this should be thought to traduce the law, he addeth, We know (as if that were without question to all.) So that there is a position, The Law is good, and a supposition, If a man use it lawfully; with a correction, The Law is not made to the righteous. As Austin said, It was hard to speak for free-will, and not to deny free-grace; or free-grace, and not to deny free-will: so it’s hard to give the Law its due, and not to seeme to prejudice the Gospel; or the Gospel, and not to prejudice the Law: For, take but these two Verses, Videtur Apostolus pugnantia dicere, The Apostle seemeth to speake contradictions, saith Martyr: For, seeing none can use the Law well, but a righteous man, how then is not the Law given to him? But this knot shall be untyed in its proper place. I shall at this time handle the first proposition, that is conditionall; only I might insist upon opening the word […], or Law: For, I conceive, the neglect of the different use of this, doth breed many errours; for there is a law that we are to be Antinomians, or contrary to; and there is a law, that we must submit to: But of this I will speak in one particular caution.