phemer, one who ſpake of Chrift reproachfully, (for that blaſphemy ſig- nifieth) Paul was a zealous 4.an in the Jewiſh Religion, his blaſphemy therefore only reſpected the Second Perſon in the Trinity, which the Jews owned not. Paul compelled others to blaſpheme,Afs 26, 11, r Ot his pertecution, ſee Ads 8. 3. he entered houſes, baled Men and Women to priſon, be breathed out threatnings and ſlaughter againſt the Diſciples of the Lord, 4&s 9. 2, he perſecuted Chriſtianity even unto Death, As 22.4,5, s Thus he was injurious, for in other things he was as to the law blimel-(s, Phil, 2. 6, bred up a Phariſee according to the ſtriteſi Sed of th- F:wijh Religion ; bat he verily thought with bimſelf that he ought 10 do many things contrary to the Name of Feſus of Nazareth; ſo as he went according to his conſcience, (ſuch a one as he had) and A#,26. ver. 10, 4ze had aljo Authority from the chief Prieſts, But neither the di- Qates of his own erroneous Conſcience, nor yet the Command of his Sy; £:10urs could (according to Pau?'s Divinity) excuſe him from being a per /*cutor, and injurious, t And ſtanding in need of the free par- C0n11g mercy of God, which he aith,he obtained of God's free Grace, u Beceule he did it ignoranty,we cannot reaſonably think that iznorance of the Divine Law (once publiſhedYſhould excule any tranſgrelſor of it, we ſee men will not allow it as to their Laws,after promulgation; ſo that although Paul perſecuted Chriftians 1gnorantly, yet he ſtood in need of Mercy, Tznorance excuſeth not a toro, but @ tanto, not in whole, but in part,and makes the {ſinners fin not to be ſo exceeding ſinful,eſpecially where it is not vincible, Pauls ignorance here mentioned was vincidle, he lived in Fudea,where the Goſpel had been preached ſome years, be- fore he periecuted the Profeſſors; he might have heard the Sermons preached, and een the miracles wrought by Chriſt and the Apoſtles, but he was bred up a Phariſee, and under the prejudices of that Se&t which are implacable Enemies to Chriſt, this kept him in 7gnorance ; Chriſt allows ſomething for the prejudices of mens Education, w He did what he did alſo while he was in a ſtate of Vnbelief, He believed one true and living God,(all the Jews did ſo)and worſhipped him according to the jewiſh manner, yet ſtiles himſelf an unbeliever, Every man is an unbeltever (in a Goſpel ſenſe)that receiveth not Jeſus Chriſt as the Son of God, and his Saviour z though he believes there is one God, &c., Paul addeth this circumſtance of his ignorant blaſpheming and perſecu- ting the truth, partly to juility the Divine Mercy that pardoned and preſerved him ; (for the Goſpel peremptorily exciudes from Pardon al] that fin againſt the Holy Ghoſt, ſuch who being enlightened by the knowledge of the ſaving Truth,yet for carnal reaſons deliberately and matlicioutly oppoſe it 5 now the ſhewing Mercy to Paul was no contra- diction to this moſt wile Law of God) and partly he mentions his ig- norarce to prevent the abuſe of the Divine mercy by men z as if from bis example they might ſecurely imitate his perſecuting the Saints, or live in 2 courſe of fin, though convinc'd of their wickedneſs, and hope for Mercy at the laft. | 14 And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant x, vILh faith, and love which is in Chriſt Jeſus y.
x The free love of God towards me, in juſtifying ſuch a guilty crea- ture, and ſanifying ſuch an unholy creature, and after calling me to tte office of an Apoſtle, fitting me for it, and truſting me with that great work and imployment, abounded beyond all meaſure and poſhbi-
vyh
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1 &Is
4
YP it
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Ity of Expretion. y Chriſt working Faith in me, inabling me to re- ceive him as the Son of God, and my Lord and Saviour,and to love hin whom I formerly thought ] ought rodo much againſt,and hisDiſciples whom [ formerly haled to Death,of whom I made havock, perſecuring then to death, He mentions Fatth and Love, the two principal Graces, 1 oppoſition to the reigning, fins in his unconverted ſtate: Faith in the Duettrine of the Coipei,in oppoſition to his former Ignorance and Intff
* C42! Is
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L TIMOTHY
Chap. I.
delity ;3and Love to Chriſt and Pelieverz, in oppoition to his former Rage and Cruelty againſt them, Ant their Graces were from Chit the Fruits of his Merit, 2nd Holy Spirit.
15 This zs a faithful ſaying
ation a, * that Chriſt Jeſus came into worid- to 1a
{inners b, of whom I am chief c. Ns
2 The following laying, which is the great Propoſition of the Goſpel, © how : is a Saying that 1s in it ſelr true, and wherein God hath declared his ; Truth. 4 And worthy to be. with all thankfulneſs received, believed and accepted. b That Jeſus Chriſt b=i»g ſen: of the Father, in the ful- neſs of time, was incarnate, lived and Qed in the Worid ; not only to ſet Sinncrvan Example of a better Lite, nor only to make God placable towards Men, that if they would they micht be ſaved ; but to purchaſe a certain Salvation to Sinners, ſatistying Divine juſtice, and meriting all Grace neceſlary to bring them to Salvation, to carry the {ut Sheep home upon his Shoulders ; yea, thovgh they had been great Wande- reres, suapmoats. &And 1 was as great a one as any other, yea, the chtefeft, Paul though converted, had his iormer Sin of Perſcuticin Hee fore his Eyes, Perſecutors are ſome of the Chic of Sinners, Some will have the relative of which to refer to the ſaving mentioned, q.., Of which Sinners brought to Salvation I am the grear Preſident, having been ſo great a Sinner as I have been, and yet received to mercy,
16 Howbeit, for this cauſe I obtained mercy 6, that in me firſt Jeſus Chriſt might ſhew forth all long-ſuffering e, for apattern to them who ſhould hereafter believe on