& 24. 14» f Pay} here by his forefathers, either intends his immediate Pa- * 1 1hefl, rents, or Abraham, Iſage and Facob z for he ſerved the ſame God whom they ſerved. But how did Pau} from his forefathers ſerve God with a pure Conſcience, who was a Native Jew, and zealous in that Religion in oppoſition to the Faith of the Goſpel, which alone purifieth the heart? A#s 15,9, Sol. A pure Conſcience ſeemeth here to fignifie the ſame with Phil, 3. 6. touching the righteouſneſs which 1s in the Law blameleſs, Paul was ftrit to the Rules of that Religion which he profeſſed, though that Religion was not. that which univerſally purificth the heart, Or elſe his meaning is,That he atthis time ſerved that God who was the God of his forefathers, with a pure Conſcience, g He either thanketh God on the behalf of Timothy for his Gifts and Graces, or elſe he bleſſed God, that had Put it into his heart daily to remember 7imorky in his Prayers, Phi- lem. 4.By which expreſſion he both lets us know the mutual duty of
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6. 2. & Ze. 19,
inclinations to.do our duty, we ought to acknowledge them to God, being not of our ſelves ſufficient to one good thought,
4 Greatly deſiring to ſee thee, being mindful of thy tears h, that I may be filled with joy z.
h There was a great brotherly love amongſt Primitive Chriſtians, ſoas the. Apoſtle often expreſſeth his deſire to ſee ſuch Chrittiansas were at diftance from him, Kom. 1. 11. 1 Theſ, 2. 17, but he ex- preſſeth a particular reaſon of his deſire to ſee Timothy, remem- bring the tears he ſhed at his parting from him and the reſt, 4#s 20.37, 38, # Beſides the defire he had by his preſence to fatisfie him, and give him occaſion of joy, with which he alſo ſhould be fit- led, unleſs he ſpeaketh of the joy he promiſed himſelf when he ſaw Timothy, upon his ſeeing the improvement he had made both of his Graces and Gifts in che Miniſterial Office, :
5 When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee k, which dwelt firſt in thy grandmother
Lois, and in thy mother Eunice, and 1 am perſwaded
that in thee alſo /.
& The Apoſtle expreſſeth another cauſe of his affetion to Timo- thy, viz. his ſincere owning and adhearing to the Profeſſion of the Goſpel. 1 As his Grandmother Lorzs and his Mother Eunice had done before him,Che faith nothing of his Father, for he was a Jew prole- lyted, or an Heathen, A#s 16, 1.) and though he could not infalli- 5g determine, yet he was verily perſwaded of his ſincerity al- 0.
Chap. I.
dation for the time to come 5, that they may * lay holg KVorr 58 I 12,
thy truſt «, * avoiding profane and vain bablings w, x 2 Tin, «14,
4 Either the DoQtrine of the Goſpel, which Miniſters Ought to _ 5 Þ keep pure, and without mixture, or the Miniſterial Office ; be true & ; 145 and faithful in the diſcharge of it, preaching Chrift, and the Do. 9 Tis, crine of Chrift, w Avoid all impertinent Diſcourſings under the 16
213 Which ſome profeſling * have erred concerning |
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6 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance m, that, ,-;,,, thou * ſtirup # the gift. of God o which is in thee; ;,,
by the putting on of my. hands p. |
m Pauf's affetion to Timothy was ſo far from abating his faithſul- neſs to him, that it quickned him to admoniſh him to be faichful in his Miniſtry ; and to that end,. » He adviſeth him to put new Life unto that holy fire (the word ſignifies the recovering of fire chaakea with aſhes, or decaying) which God had kindled-in' him. 0 By cal- ly Prayer, and meditating on the things of God and uſe of his Gifts, improving thoſe Spiritual Abilities which God had given bim. / U- on the Prayers of Pau}, and the Presbytery, when he was by them ſet apart to the work of an Evangelift,for the end for which Gol had given them to him, IP
Ch.3.14,
7 For * God hath not given us the ſpirit of fear 9* Rom. *
but of power 7, and of -love'f, and of a ſound 15.
mind #,
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Chap. I. IL TIMO
gers and difficulties. r Love to God, and to the Souls of his Peo-| le, Love ſo ſtrong as to conſtrain us to be willing to lay down our Lives for Chriſt, and for his Church and People. / Zape5yroue, we Tranſlate it 4 ſound mind, others fobriety, others 4 caim and quiet miad, A ſound mind in the ordinary notion of it, for a Judgment ſound in the Faith,is requiſite to a Miniſter of the Goſpel, Sobrie- ty is the gift of the Spirit ; /obriery is a very general term, and fig- nifies the moderation and government of our Paſhons ; that which ſcems to be here meant is ſuch a Government, and compoſure of Spirit, that nothing ſhall deter us from the diſcharge of our Du- ty ; andthe term ſound mind, oppoſed to a weak and fickly mind, 4: ggecring at every danger, may well enough expreſs the Apoſtles lene. | 8. * Pe not thou therefore aſhamed of the * teſti- I Om "* mony of our Lord f, nor of me * his priſoner u, but + ; Tim, be thou partaker w of the afflictions of the Goſpel x,
2. 6, according to the power of God y. | | *Phil,1.7- 7zEither the Teſtimony which Chriſt himſelf gave, who before Pontius Pilate witneſſed a good Conſcience; or thatTeftimony which
thou art obliged to give; for the Minifters of Chrift are to be wit-
neſles to him, As 1. 8. u By this it appears that Pax} was a Pri-
ſoner at Rome when he wrote this 3 he would not have Timothy a-
ſhamed to own him, and the DoQrine he had taught becauſe of that circumſtance. w That is, be thou content if God calls thee to take
a ſhare with me in thoſe afflitions which I ſuffer for preaching and profeſſing the Goſpel; or thoſe affliftions are inſeparable from the
Goſpel. ,y Through the power of God, for it is given to us on
= behalf of Chrift, as to believe, ſo to ſuffer for Chriſt's ſake,
Phl, 1. 29.
9 Who hath ſaved us z, and called us with an holy
Rom. 9. Calling a, * not according to our. works 6b, but II, * according to his own purpoſe and grace c, which
| "50m 5. was given us in Chriſt Jeſus 4 * before the world be- * £ph, 3. 520 : 11, 2 That is, brought us into a ſtate of Salyation, and given us
THY. Chap. IL