He dignifies Timothy with the Title of bis Son in the Faith ; that is,be- ing converted by him to Chriſtianity, and begat to the Divine Life : and by ftiling Timothy bis own Sov, he tignifies his Piety and Vertue, that rendred him a worthy Son'6f ſuch a Father, whom he imitated and honoured, and with whom he correſponded in a gratefnl obedient affe- Qion. Having thus deſcribed the Perſon to whom he writes,he expreſ- les his ardent defire of his compleat Felicity ; which is included in Grace, M-rcy and Peace, By Grace he means the free fayour and good Will of God, with all the ſpiritual Gifts that proceed from it, either requiſite tor Salvation, or the great Work of the Evangelical Miniftry, By mercy, his compathonate tender Love, pardoning, relieving, ſup- porting, and aſkifting us in our Chriftian courſe : By Peace he ſignifies, Principally che Feace of God, that Divine Calm of Conſcience, that Tranquility and reſt of Soul which procecds from the aſſurance that God IS reconciled to us in Chrift,and our freedom by the Sanctifying Spirit, from the 1 y: anny of Carnal Luſts: This Peace can never be 10 the wick- ed, And be11.1cs this principal Peace, we may underftand Peace with Man, that 1s a quiec ftate exempt from Hatred and Perſecutions, that Jinuy..y might more comfortably and ſucceſsfully perform the Work of his Munſtry, He prays for theie Bleffings from God, who is the origi-
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3 As I beſought thee to abide fill at Epheſus f, when I went into Macedonia z, that thou mighteſt charge ſome that they teach no other doctrine h.
f Epheſ' was a great City in-4fi2 the leſs, whither Paul came, A7s Ig, 1. where Demetrius raiſed a tumulc againſt him ; which the Town-Clerk appeaſed, as we read there. From thence he went into Macedonia, As 20. 1.2, 3, Upon this his motion into Mzcz- donta {as Divines judge) he lefr Timothy at Epheirs, The end of leavin him at Epheſ#s, was that be might charge ſome that they preached 3:9 other Dottrine, that is, none contrary to what he had preached, none con- trary to the Dottrine of the Goſpel, Gal. x. 8, 9. What Power was here committed to 7:morhy is by lome queſtioned, ſppoting (which is very probable) there were a greater number of Dilciples than conld meet in one Aſſembly, his Power was more than Paſtoral, for he had a Power over the Teachers. Whether this Power was exir40r4inary or ordinary, and what God intended ever to continue in the Church, isthe queſtion, Thole who make it tobe ſuch, make it to be Epij:opal z thoſe that make it extraordinary, ſay it was the Work of an Evangelift,2 Tim, 4+ 5+ TI hat there was ſuch an Officer in the Primitive Church appears from As 21,8, Epb. 4. 11. That this was Timothy's Work appears from 2 Tim, 4. 6. noris ita new thing, but very common in the {ettlement of all new Governments, to author ize ſome ſpecial Commithoners, and to give them an extraordinary Power for a time "till the Government can be ſettled, and things brought into a fixed Order. If we confider the Words without prejudice, / befought thee to abide ſlill ax Epheſus, they ſeem to ſignifie that Timothy was not the eftabliſht Biſhop of Eph: ſu ; for to what end ſhould the Apoſtle detire a B:ſhop to reſide in his own Dioceſs, which he could not forfake without negiedting his Duty, andthe Offence of God ? This were a tacit Refe*tion, as if he were careleis of his Duty, And the word abide, a7227u gra, docs nut neceſſarily import his conſtant reſidence there ; for 'tis uted to figniis continuance for ſome time only ; as 'tis ſaid of the Apoſtle, that rc- mained mary 42ys at Corinth, Afs 18, 18, when his ftay there was only for ſome Months. The intention of the Apoſtle ſeems to be, rhar 7:- mothy ſhould continue for a while at Epheſis, and not accompany tim in his Voyage to Macedonzz,as he was wont to do upon other occations, And *cis evident by the ſacred Hiſtory, that about tix months after 7:- mothy was with the Apoftle in Greece, that he went with him to M.- cedonia and Troes, and Milerus, Acts 20, 1, 4. where the Apottle lent for the Elders or Biſhops of Epk-/#s, to leave his laſt ſolemn Charge witt: them. In ſhort, if Timothy had been appointed the Biſhop of Epb-- ſus, the Apoſtle would probably have given this Title of Honov: ro him in the Inſcription of his Epiftle, Upon the imyartial contidering of the whole matter, though the Palhon of irelacy is
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few plain words ihe + 4 oy; Province, a2 Primate of all Aſia) yet *tis moſt likely that Timothy waz left only for ſome time with a kind of Apoftolical power 5n the © hurch of Epheſus; of which power this was one branch, au- thoritatively ro commanc ſelucers not to teach another Dottrine than
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vine rule, and moſt of che Miniitry, And this ſheweth the mighty pronenels of Men as to deviate in their converſations from the right ways, ſo in their judg- ments from the Truths of God, otherwiſe Paul had had no need to bave left 74noky for that end in this Church ſo newly planted.
4 Neither * give heed to fables #, and endleſs genealo- gies, which minitter queſtions rather than godly edity- ing k, which isin faith 1 : ſo do. |