The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Timothy — Section 144

taken away. 3. 77ae 81Mctal olmozioumeN of their teacMng. (1) Thu wa, ln -ling /hat godlint!$s was a way of gain. "Supposing that godlinet1S is a way of gain." Thh was evidently a stratagem on the part of the heretics. Suspected of a worldline88 that was unbecomin_g their religious pretension,, they got over it by taking up the position that godliness was a gainful trade. They appealed to men to be religious for the aake uf the worldly gain it would bring to them. It can be eeen that the apostle regarda the heretical maxim with contempt. It i1 a maxim from which many aot who would not like to admit it in words. They keep up religious appearances, not because they have uy love for religion, but because it would be damaging to them to appear irreligious. (2) Godliness is a way of gain if associated with contentment. "But god- liness with contentment is great gain." "Elegantly, and not without ironical correction to a sense that is contrary, he gives a new tum to the aame words" (Calvin). God- lin8118 (what we have in relation to God) i, great gain; but its gain lies in its producing a contented mind (in relation to ourselves). Where a man is contented it is as though he owned the whole world. (3) Reasons/or contentment. Our natural bar,mea,, "For we brought nothing into the world, for neither can we carry anything out." The aame thought is expressed in Job i. 21 and in Eccles. v. 15. Viewed at two points we are abso1utely poor. There was a time when earthly good was not ours, and there will come• time when it will cease to be ours. We are not, then, to make an essential of what only pertains to our earthly state. We can do with little. "But having food and covering we shall be therewith content." Something added to our bare natural condi- tion we need while we are in this world, and it will not be wanting; but it does not need to be much. Food and covering, these will suffice for us. We can do with leas than we imagine. Shakespeare tells us that " The poore1t lll&ll la in the poorest thing 1uperftno11B, Demands for nature more than nature claim&• "The rock of our present day is that no one knows how to live upon little; the great men of antiquity were generally poor. The retrenchment of useless expenditure, the laying aside of what one may call the relatively necessary, is the high-road to Christian disentanglement of heart, just as it was to that of ancient vigour. ~ greal roul in a small, house is the idea which has al ways touched me more than any other" (Lacordaire). The ,ad result of the opposite state. "But they that desire to be rich fall into a tempta- tion and a snare and many foolish and hurtful lusts, such as drown men in destruction and perdition." By them that desire to be rich we are to understand thoae who, instead of being contented with what they can enjoy with God's blessing and what they can ._ for God's glory, make riches their object in life. They fall into a state of mind in.at is seductive and fettering. And this unnatural craving for possession does not stand alone, but has many affiliated lUBts, such as love for display, love for worldly company, love for the pleasures of the table. Of these no rational account can be given, and they are hurtful even to the extent of drowning men in misery, expressed by two very strong words-destruction and perdition. Confirmation of tl-.e la,t reason. Prowrbial saying. "For the love of money is a root of all kinda of evil." The proverb UI in- tended to have a certain startling nature. Desire of money is not certainly the only root of evils, but it is conspicuously the root of evils. We need_ only think of the lies, thefts, oppressions, jealousies, murders, wars, lawsuits, sensuality, prayerlessneBB, that have been caused by it. The victim,. "Which some reaching after have been led astray from the faith, and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows." The apostle thinks of the ravages wrought on some he knew. Within the Christian circle, they unlawfully reached after gain. This led to their wandering from the faith, and t.o their being pieretd through, as with a sword, with many sorrows; bitter reflections on the past, diaappointme!!t with what they had obtained, apprehensions of the future. These he would point to as beacon,, warning off the rock of avarice.-R. F. Vers. ll-16.-17u: Christian gl<ui,iator. The gladiator was one who fought, fa the arena, at the amphitheatre of an ancient city, such as the ColOBB0um at Rome, for '1le amwiement of the public. It made file real and earne»t to be compelled w enter the lists, i.n which t.he iMaue was generally victory or death. 0B, 'fl.. 1-21.) THE FIRST EPISTLE TO TIMOTHY. 137