The Pulpit Commentary — Galatians — Section 31

the p11rts near Derbe and Ly~trn, a "disciple named Timothe)lll "-a. convert, it should seem, won in the former missionary journey with. Ba.rne.b!Le-!' who wa.s very highly spoken .of by the brethren at Lystra a.nd Iconium ; " that, "he conceived the wish (~BIA71u<1,) that .be should go forth with him," sha.ribg the sacred enterprise on which he and Silas were already engaged; and further, that to qualify him for dealing to greater advantage with Jews; "he took and circumcised him." We need, howe-.-er,-feel no surprise that we find here no particulars of either call or special'designation, such as are found in Acts xiii. 1-3 with relation to Paul and Barnabas, neither· does the omission tend to discredit the idea. that there were such. It would not fall within the .. scope of the sacred historian's purpose tu furnish such details with respect to the various persons who were called to share St. Paul's la.hours -Aristarchus, Titus, Demas, Ttophimus, and others, including Luke himself. The circumcision of Timotheus. is mentioned, not on his account, but as illustrative of St. Paul's own methods of action. Timothy's ordination, Nevertheless, in the letters. which, a. good many years later as it would seem, St. Paul had occasion to write to Timotheus, we do find indications of circumstances attending his first susception of the office which he held in the Church, such as serve in some measure to explain those respectful references to that office which we have just been cousidering. , When the apostle wrote those letters, he had appointed him to a highly important and responsible post at Ephesus; in fact, to exercise for a while the like supremacy in the· regulation of Church affairs in that neighbourhood as St. Paul himself would have exercised had he been there. Timotheus, as many ·indications show, was remarkable for sensitiveness and for the modesty of his temperament-modesty, per- haps, amounting to even an excessive measure of self-diffidence; and he shrank from the heavy responsibility imposed upon ,him. It was partly to combat this extreme self-distrust; and not only to direct him how to conduct himself in his new position, tha.t St. Paul was now writing to him. With the former object in view, he tells him (1 Tim. i. 18) that, in entrusting him with this-important charge, he was only following out those inspired intimations of the Divine will concerning him "which had led the way to him (KBTa. ...as ,rpac,-yar1ucu ,,.., u• .,,p•</>'IT•f,.s);" that is, as is suggested by the comparison of Acts xiii. 2, which had in the firdt inst.once led the eldership of the neighbourhood and St. Paul himself to solemnly set him apart for the work of an evangelist. The apostle himself feels, and enjoins it upon Timotheus to feel, that the " prophesying" which first suggested that long-ago consecration for bis work furnished a topic of strong encouragement; so mnch did -he feel this, that be brings it forward again in 1 Tim. iv. 14, where he likewise refers to it as the means of the "charism" being bestowed which was in him. "Neglect not," he says, "the gift that is in thee, which wo.s given to thee through prophesying in conjunction with the layiug on of. the bands of the eldership." For the like purpose of encouragement, he twice refers to the "charism," or "the charism of God," which on that occasion had bee11 conferred upon him. The medium of its bestowment, he reminds him in one passo.ge (2 Tim. i. 6), was the laying on of his hands; and how efficncious the laying on of his hands was wont to be, when be used it in the solemn exercise of his supreme apostolical office, was a matter which 'l'imotheus had had abundant opportunity for observing. The "gift" verily was "in him," a holy fire sto.tedly deposited in his breast, sure to kindle up into living flames, mightily effectual if only stirred o.nd fanned by being faithfully made use of. In the other passage (1 Tim. iv. 14), in plo.ce of this reference to the laying on of his hands, and without specifying the proximate medium of the \Jestowment at nll, he remin,l~  xll'f THE EPISTLE 'rO THE GALA'l'IANS.