Chap. III.
Salvation, # for ſhe ſhall be ſaved, ſhe ſtands upon equal ground with the man as to Eternal Salvation,who cannot be ſaved without Faith and Ho- lineſs,and adiſcharge of the duties incumbent upon him,and patient en- during the croſſes and trials God exerciſeth him with ;and the Woman alſo ſhall be ſaved, Þ By faithful performance of her duty,and patiently enduring her croſſes and trials, in the pains and peril of Child-bearin '4+ notwithftanding they are the ſenſible marks ofGod's diſpleaſure for fin, yet the ſufferings of Chriſt has taken away the ſaid bitternefs, 7 If ſhe alio liveth in the exerciſe of Faith in Chriſt, and Love to God,and her Husband, and all Saints, and in all exerciſes of Holineſs, with Sobriety. Some refer the Pronoun they, to the Children, becauſe the Apoſtle had been before ſpeaking of the Woman in the Singular number 5 but there 1s nothing more ordinary than that change of the number, eſpecially where collettive words are uſcd, that ſignifie a whole Species or Sex: and it is unreaſonable to think the Apoſtle ſhould ſuſpend the Salvation of the Mother, upon the Faith and Holineſs of the Child, and to inter- pret it of the Mothers indeavours towards it, ſeemeth hardly a ſuffici- ent interpretation of the term continue, ;
CHAP. II.
The Office aud Qualifications of 4 Teacher, 1 —<7, Of D:acons, 8---10; Of their Wives and Familes, —14. The Church the Pillar of Truth, which is the Myſtery of Godlineſs, 15, 16.
I His is a true ſaying a, If a man deſireth the office
of a ® biſhop b, he deſireth a good work c. * Alts -0; 4 Tligng, A faithful ſaying, that which none can diſpute, of which 23 none un to doubt. 56 If a man defires any office, to which belongs
an overtight of the Church of God, The Greek word £moxo71 ſigni- fies in the general any overfght of others ; here the following diſcourſe reftrains it to an overſight of perſons, and affairs in the Church. The Apoftle by this Phraſe determines this employment lawful, and under due circumſtances to be defired, and faith of it, that he who defireth it, defireth xaady te2oy c 4 good work, a noble imployment. It is'a work + the office of the Miniſtry in the Church is and ought to be a work, The Titles of Goſpel Miniſters are not meer Titles of honour ; and of all works or employments the Miniftry is the moſt noble employment, We (faith the Apoſtle) are ſtewards of the myſteries of God, Miniſters of Chrift, 1 Cor. 4. 1. Embaſſadors for Chriſt, in Chriſt's ftead, 2 Cor, $.20. God's Angels or Meſſengers to Churches, Kev, 2. 1. It being ſo good,
ſo great and noble an employment, it is no wonder that God hath re- ſtrained women the weaker and more ignoble Sex from invading it,for
all men are not fit for it, but only ſuch as are hereafter deſcribed.
2 * A biſhop d then muſt be blameleſs e, the husband , 5;, . of one wifef, vigilant g, ſober b, || of good behaviour 5, 5, #5; *
given to hoſpitality k, * apt to teach /. [| Modeſt: In the following deſcription, there is the compleat charaer of an * 2 Tim. Evangelical Biſhop, with reſpe& to the virtues wherewith he muſt be 2: 24. adorned, and the vices from which he muſt be exempt, and as to the
condutt of his perſon, and the government of his Family, and his car-
riage to the Church, and to thoſe that are without, d Whoever hath
the office of overſight in the Church of God,muſt be e ſuch a perſon as
none can truly blame for any notorious or conſpicuous errours in; his
life, f None, who at the ſame time hath more Wives than one. (as
many of the Fws had, nor was Polygamy only common amongſt th;
Fews, but amongſt the other Eaftern Nations, but this was contrary 5
the inftitution of Marriage.)Some interpret this of ſucceſſive Marriage,
as if it were a ſcandalous thing for a Minifter to marry a ſecond time,
but for this they have no pretence from Holy Writ, or reaſon, or the
| pratice and cuftom of Nations. Many perſons loſe their firſt Wives
ſoon after Marriage, that were not ſecond Marriages lawful, all the ends of Marriage muſt be fruſtrate as to them, The Apoſtle command- ing Minifters to be the Husbands but of one Wife, doth not oblige them to marry, if God hath given them the gift of continency, but it efta- bliſheth the lawfulneſs of their marrying againſt the Doctrine of Devils in this particular, which the Church of Kome teacheth. g The word here Tranſlated visilant fignifieth alſo ſober, but for that cwogsys is after uſed, He muft be one that watcheth his Flock, and is attentive to his work 3 one that will neither be long abſent from his flock, nor yet ſluggiſh while he is with them. b One that is pruderr, modeſt, tem- perate, that can govern his affe&ions and paſſions. # A man of a comely, decent behaviour, x85 wOQ@- no proud ſupertilious man, that deſpiſeth others, nor moroſe man, who cannot accommodate himlelt to others. k One that loveth ſtrangers, that is, who is ready to expreſs his love to ſtrangers (eſpecially ſuch as for the truth have left their Country) by all courteous offices. 1 One that is able to inftrutt others, and who hath a facility or aptneſs to it, neither an ignorant, nor yet a lazy man,
3 |] Not given to wine #2, no ſtriker v, not * greedy Of, vo! of filthy lucre o, but patient p, * not a brayuler 9, not re:dy ro
covetous r. | quarrel, and offer
#2 The word fignifieth a common tippler, whether he drinks to the SR. an loſs of his reaſon or no, a Win:-bibber, that makes bibbing at a Tavern "> ? his Trade no fitter at Wine. » No quarreller that cannot keep his, -, ; fiſts off him that provoketh him. o One that abhors all filthy and diſ- 4 5 honeſt gain, any kind of way. p 6Hrenth a fair equal man, who will ; not exatt the rigour of what he might, a patient, gentle, courteous g T-; man, ſo far from contention, that he will rather part with what is his , . 4 ' right. q 4pazev, One that will not fight, whether it be with his”
hand or tongue, 7 One that doth not love Silver ; that is, not with
an immoderate, ſinful love, ſoas to get it any way.
4 Onethat ruleth well his own houſe /, having his chil- dren in ſubje&ion with all gravity t.
f If he be one to whom God hath given a Family, one who hath gi- yen an experiment of his Converſation. and Ability, to take care of a Church, by the caxe that he hath taken of his Family,and his ruiing
| an
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Chap. III. L TIM