Works, Treatise · Chapter 1
CHAP. I.
The dependance of the Text upon the last verse in the foregoing Chapter. Why in the Description of the Mystery of Godliness those words [Assumed into Glory] are set last. A view of the several parts of the Text, containing the Method and Order of the insuing Discourse. The Author's 3 Reasons for his rendring the Text differently from the Common Translation.
THE WORDS I have read are a Prophecie of a Revolt of Christians from the Great Mystery of Christian Worship, described in the last verse of the former Chapter, which according to the division of the Ancients should be the first of this: For that last Verse, together with the first six Verses of this and half the seventh verse, make the seventh Title or main Section of this Epistle, expressed in the Edition of Robert Stephen; and so are supposed, from the grounds of that division, to belong all to one argument. The Words therefore of my Text depend upon the last of the former Chapter, as the second part of a Discrete proposition: That howsoever the foreign the Mystery of Christian Religion, which is, God manifested in the Flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of Angels, and assumed into Glory; though this Mystery was a great one, and at that time preached and believed in the world: Nevertheless the Spirit [foreign.] speaketh expresly, That in the latter times there shall be a revolt or departing from this Faith; though not in all parts of it, yet from a main and fundamental part thereof, namely, The assumption of this God and Man to the Throne of Glory and incommunicable Majesty in Heaven, whereby he hath a Name given him above every Name, and whereof no creature in Heaven or in Earth can be capable. Which connexion is the reason why the Apostle putteth this Assumption into Glory in the last place of his description, which should else in the true order have followed the words [justified in the Spirit,] and been before [preached unto the Gentiles and believed on in the world.] But it is the*See this proved in Chap. VII. of this Treatise. method of the Scripture sometimes to translate the proper order, and to mention that in the last place whereunto it is to joyn, and from whence it is to infer the next words that follow after. And unless this reason be allowed here, there will hardly be found any other reason of this misplacing. But more of this shall be both spoken and made better to appear hereafter.
I come now more near to my Text; the words whereof I divide into two parts: First, A Description of this solemn Apostasie, The Apostasie of the latter Times PART I.in the first verse; Secondly, The Manner or Means whereby it was to come to pass, in the following verses, viz. Through the hypocrisie of Liars, who had seared consciences, forbade to marry, and (bade) to abstain from meats.
For the Description of the Apostasie it self, we shall find it first Generally and Indefinitely expressed both in the word foreign they shall Apostatize or revolt, and in the next foreign shall attend to erroneous Doctrines, or Doctrines of errour. Then Particularly, 1. What these erroneous Doctrines should be for the kind or quality; namely, new Doctrines of Daemons, or a new Idolatry. 2. The Persons who should thus apostatize; not all, but TINE foreign SOME. 3. The Time when it should be; foreign In the latter times. 4. The Proof or warrant of this Prophesie; it is that which the Spirit hath else-where long agoe foretold foreign in the written word, verbatim, totidem verbis, or in express words.
For the second part, viz. The Means; Consider 1. The Manner or Method used, viz. By lying hypocrisie or hypocritical lying. 2. The quality and description of the Authors and furtherers thereof, they should be such as had their consciences seared, who forbad marriage and meats.
Where, before I go any further, I must give an account of thus translating these latter words which I make the second part, because they are commonly translated otherwise, viz. intransitively, as referring the words of the two latter verses to the persons mentioned in the first, viz. those Some who should Apostatize and give heed to erroneous spirits and Doctrines of Devils, as they usually translate it: So that the words of the second and third verses should be the expression by particulars of that which was before generally comprized under erroneous spirits and doctrines of Devils, which should consist partly in forbidding lawful marriage, and partly in commanding abstinence from meats.
But this interpretation seems very unlikely. For first, since S. Paul intendeth here to describe that great Apostasie of the visible Christian Church, as is evident by the pointing out of the time, foreign In the latter times; who can believe that he who aimeth at this, would instance only in the smaller and almost circumstantial Errours, omitting the main and fundamental, which the Scripture elsewhere telleth us should be Idolatry or Spiritual fornication? Secondly, As for Errours about Marriage and Meats, they were not proper to the last times, but found more or less in the Apostles own times; as may be gathered by some passages of their Epistles: Why should then our Apostle, here speaking of the Apostasie of the latter times, instance only in those things which the first times in some measure were never free from? Lastly, (which I take alone to be sufficient) The Syntax of the words will not bear it to have them so translated: For the persons in the first verse, foreign, are expressed in casu recto, whereas the persons in the verses following, foreign, are in the genitive: now by what Syntax can these be construed intransitively? how will foreign, &c. agree with foreign, &c. without breach of Grammar unsampled in our Apostle's Epistles? If any say, they may be referred then and agree with foreign that indeed would be a strange sense, and nothing to their purpose, to say that Devils lie, have seared consciences, and forbid marriage and meats. But to construe it transitively, and to make all these genitive cases to be governed by foreign, and take the preposition foreign, to signifie*Hyperius so expounds it in his Comm. on this Epistle. Causam or Modum actionis, as is most usual in Scripture; this, as it keepeth the Syntax true, so I hope to make it appear hereafter to be the very meaning, and the Event most answerable thereunto, when you shall hear proved out of story, That the Apostasie of the visible Church came in by lying wonders and all deceiveableness of unrighteousness, managed by those who either professed or doted upon Monastical hypocrisie; the affectation and errours whereof at length surprising the body of the Church, is that which S. Paul, 2 Thess. 2. 10. calls not the Apostasie it self, but A…not-love of the Truth, for which God gave them over to strong delusions, that they might believe a lye. But this is out of*See this further treated of in Part 2. Chap. 1. its place; only I have anticipated thus much, lest you should be too long in suspence of the grounds of this novelty in translating. And yet this difficulty concerning the Syntax hath stumbled many of our latter Interpreters, as amongst others Beza, who solves it only by saying, That the Apostle more regarded the matter than the construction; which for my part I cannot believe.