The Pulpit Commentary — Acts — Volume 2 — Section 50

Ver. 1.-The character of 7'imotlty. This young man was so clnsely associated with tho Apostle Paul, and with such completo_ sympathy sharer! hie thoughts ;in,! his work, that he deserves e. careful Rtudy, and his character will he found to have points of intoreet from which important practical lessons may be drawn. He is introduced to us in this passage, but we must assume the fuller knowledge of him that is conveyed by historical references in the Acts and Epistles, and by the letters of counsel addressed by St. Paul to him personally. Of him Canon Farrar says, "He was, in fact more th&n any other, the altlfT' ego of the apostle. Their knowledge of each other ..;as mutnal; aud one whose yearnin;,: and often lacerated heart had such deep need of a kindred spirit on which to lean for sympathy, e.nd whose distressing infirmities rendered nece~Rary to him the personal services of some affectionate companion, must have reuarcled the devoted tenderness of Timothy e.e e. specie.I gift of God to save him from bei;g crushed by ovcrmuch sorrow." Timothy we.a brought to Christ by St. Paul's prea.cbinu, and the way in which the apostle reminds Timothy of his sufferings at Antioch, Ico~ium, and Lystra (1 Tim. iii. 10, 11), suggests that Timothy wae a.n actual "witness of St. I>aul's injuriou.~ treatment; and this at e. time of life when the mind receives its deepest impressions from the spectacle of innocent suffering and undaunted cour:tge. And it is far from impossible that the generons and warm-hearted youth was standin~ in that group of disciples who surrounded the apparently lifeless body of the apostle at the outside of the walls of Lystra." I. 'rHE ADVANTAGES OF 'l.'IMOTHY IN A GODLY ANOESTBY. It is certain that he was of a. naturally amiable and affectionate disposition, and had this advantage from bis birth. His mother, and her mother before her, were amiable and pious women, and tmusmitted their natural grace to this young man. It is often observed that children bear the disposition of their mothers ; e.nd just such a gentle tone of character as Timothy showed has often been traceable to such a godly ancestry as he had. It may seem as if women had but little work to do; but what a. noble mission is theirs if their patient culture of natural disposition gives their children the vantage-ground of amiable and attractive character! Few blessings resting on our life surpass that of the hereditary influence of good and godly ancestors. II. 'l'm!l ADVANTAGE OF A WISE AND CAREFUL EARLY TRAINING. "Of e. child he had kuown the Scriptures." Show how this involved (1) an early awakening of the intelligence; (2) a. guardianship of his youth and young manhood from folly and temptation; (3) a preparedness for the fuller light e.nd truth brought to him by the apostle; (4) a fitness for the Christian ministry to which he subsequently became devoted. It may also be shown how the influence of his early teachers tended to encourage (1) a studious habit ; (2) a cultivation of the passive graces almost to the disadvantage of the active. No more beautiful characters a.re found on earth than those who a.re naturally amiable, and whose amiability is sanctified by Divine grace. III. THE OHARACTERISTIO EXOELLENCES OF HIS BANOTI.FlED MANHOOD. From the Epistles written by St. Paul to him we gather what were the leading features of his character. 1. Great affectionateness of disposition, which made him cleave closely to any one he loved, and enabled him to make cheerful sacrifices for them. 2. Great steadfastness and trustworthiness, so that St. Paul found he could always rely on him. He acted from principle, not mere impulse; e.nd had a. strong sense of duty. 3. A studious habit of mind, which, no doubt, made him valuable to St. Paul for his writing work, but became a snare to him, as unfitting him, to some extent, for public ministerial duties. Out of this, and the consequent frailty of his health, came a shyness and timidity which St. Paul urges him to overcome. It has been well said that Timothy is a beautiful example for young men, as "one of those simple, faithfol natures which combine tho glow of courage with the bloom of modesty."-R. T. Vere. 6--10.-The leadings of the Holy Ghost. Ape.rt from any doctrine of tho personality and work of the Holy Spirit, there is a practical realization of his presenc~, e.nd gracious workiug in us and by us, which is a source of contiuuous streugth and comfort to the believer. It is this which we find illustrated in the pas~ago now before 1;1s. The apostolic conception of tho Holy Ghost has not been adequately stUllied apart lrom doctrinal theories. It is forgotten that the apost~es were Jews, and that he!"' towards the apprehension of this Dil'ino gift and inllwe.llmg they must have sought in 52 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. [en. XVI, 1-4.0,