were distinguished by ungodliness and error. Departure from the faith, lying, and fables, are opposed to the truth (iii. 16), a thing which is most especially to be noticed, ch. iv. 1 (the par ticle fc being interposed in ver. 1) : in ver. 1, 2, 7, the hypocrisy of those who speak lies, and have their consciences seared, is op posed to confession [o/tohoyou/Asvug, confessedly, iii. 16], in ver. 2 : the dotage of old women [ver. 7, ypau>dsi$ f^vdoug, old wives' fables'] to that which is great \jitya, iii. 16], and profanity to godliness [iii. 16], ver. 7 [ch. vi. 3]. Finally, there is a remarkable Oxy moron [see Append.] : o^oXoyoii^&vus and ^uffT^piov, confession and yet mystery. This doctrine of godliness is celebrated in the whole Church, but in the Church alone. Now, reader, read again the text, if you are at leisure, from iii. 14 to iv. 7, 8 ; and consider the subject with an unbiassed and religious judgment.
16. Qiog, God) He had called Him Man, ch. ii. 5. He now compensates for what might there seem to have been derogatory to Him, calling Him here God.1 (See however Apparat., p. 710, s.) [Ed. II., p. 400, seqq.] ; for even the greatness of the mystery depends especially (even most of all) on the greatness of the subject, God. Paul, writing to Timothy and Titus, whose faith was greatly advanced, calls the Father Saviour, and in turn the Son God ; and he subjoins three pairs of predicates, in which the wrhole economy of Christ, from His departure to His return or assumption, is summarily compre hended. The sum of these predicates, viz. He was taken up in (to) glory, is ascribed to the same Subject, God, in Ps. xlvii. 5, 6 ; and this one place compensates for the ambiguity in the
1 ©£oV of the Rec. Text has none of the oldest MSS. in its favour, no version as early as the seventh century ; and as to the fathers, ex. gr. Cyril of Alex, and Chrysostom, quoted for 0goV, see Tregelles on the printed text of N. T., in which he shoAvs these fathers are misquoted. Theo- doret, however, does support it. Liberatus, Victor Tununensis (both of 6th cent.), affirm that Macedonius, under the Emperor Anastasius, changed off into ©go? in order to support Nestorianisin. AC corrected, G, read off. So Memph. and Theb. The old Latin fg and Vulg. have quod, referring to pvffTvipiov, taken as a personal designation for the antecedent. The Syr. Peschito, and in fact all the versions older than the seventh cent., have the relative, not Qsog. D(A) corrected, alone of the uncials, favours o. The silence of the fathers of the fourth cent., though ®so$ would have furnished them with a strong argument, is conclusive against it. — ED.
2fH 1 TIMOTHY ill. 10-
reading of Paul, if any such there be, in this passage. pdodq sv capx/, was manifested in the flesh) The same verb occurs, 1 John i. 2 ; the same noun, John i. 14. This manifestation applies to the whole economy of Christ, who was at one time conspicuous (visible) to the eyes of mortal men. — 15/xa/w^jj ev Kvsvj&aTi, ivas justified in the spirit) Christ, while He was mani fest in the flesh, walked among sinners and men subject to death. He was thought to be just such a one as any of them selves, and in reality bore their sins ; but afterwards, by His death which He endured in the flesh, He abolished sin, that had been laid upon Him, and claimed for Himself and His people eternal righteousness, with the entire approbation of the Father, withdrawing from the sight of men, and entering into the spiritual and glorious state, which was suitable to His righteous ness, by His resurrection and ascension. See respecting the notion of flesh and spirit, Rom. i, 3, 4 ; 1 Pet. iii. 18, note.1 He was in this sense justified in the spirit. At the most pre cious and actual moment of His death, He ceased to be mortal, and to be burdened with the sin of the world. Comp. on the righteousness and justification of Christ, Matt. iii. 15 ; Luke vii. 35 ; John xix. 30, xvi. 10 ; Acts xxii. 14 ; Rom. vi. 10, 7 ; Heb. ix. 28 ; Isa. 1. 8 ; 1 John ii. 1. And He Himself, going in spirit to the spirits in prison, preached that righteousness, and from that time powerfully put it forth into exercise (operation) : comp. Rom. iv. 25. This clause accords with the passage of Peter already quoted ; as the expression, He icas preached among the Gentiles, with 1 Pet. iv. 6. — u$bn ayyeXoic) He was seen, chiefly after the resurrection, by angels, good or even bad ; of whom the former were at the same time made acquainted with His dispensation [the plan of redemption by Him], the latter were struck with terror, Eph. iii. 10 ; in which passage the mention of angels, properly so called, is in consonance with this summary of Paul here. — Jx7jf>u;£0jj, was preached) This ele gantly follows. The angels enjoyed the most immediate admis sion to Christ (" the Lord of angels") ; the Gentiles, in their admission, were the furthest removed (in the greatest degree