“Incontinent.” Those who are living in the lust of the flesh; controlled by a depraved appetite.
“Fierce.” Getting angry and becoming quarrelsome; all that is the opposite of gentleness and kindness.
“Despisers of those that are good.” Because a man lives a good, pure, consistent Christian life it puts a rebuke upon the hypocrite, and for this reason he despises the good man.
“Traitors.” Actually denying and renouncing portions of the Holy Bible, which they profess to believe. They are traitors to God and to Christianity.
“Heady.” They are unteachable. No matter what [pg 401] the Bible says, they know they are all right if they do indulge in things that are wrong.
“High-minded.” So lifted up in themselves that the humble doctrines of the Savior are beneath their observance. These humble truths of the Bible are considered as nonessentials by the heady and high-minded.
“Lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God.” Take more real comfort and delight in the party or festival than they do in worship. A sermon of thirty minutes is about as long as they can endure. Reading the Bible is an unpleasant task, therefore the good old book lies unused; but they can spend hours in the place of revelry.
Where do we have to look for such doings and characters as we have described? They abound in great numbers in the various denominations of to-day. Adam Clarke in his commentary in speaking of this prophecy, says: “This description the papists apply to the Protestants. The Protestants in their turn apply it to the papists. There have been both teachers and people in every age of the church and world to whom these words may be most legitimately applied. Both Catholics and Protestants have been lovers of their own selves,” etc., “having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.” How often the sectish lords lament the deadness of their congregations, and also grow weary of their own spiritless, formal prayers and sermons.
Bishop Weaver of the United Brethren denomination uses the following language, as quoted by a holiness periodical:
“Power Versus Form.