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A. D. 65. 3 As I befought thee to abide ftill at Ephefus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mighteft charge fome that they teach no other doctrine;

4 Neither give heed to fables, and endless genealagies which minifter questions, rather than fedifying, which is in faith: fo do. Patriarchs; to the and Practice.

3 & 4. To remind you of the End and Defign for which I left you at Ephefus, viz. To Correct and Reform feveral of the Jewish Converts in that City and the Neighbouring Parts; to bring them off from mixing their Jewish Notions with the Chriftian Faith; from the Value they fet upon their groundlefs Traditions, and their frivolous and endless Disputes about their Pedigrees and Defcent from the great Neglect of their Chriftian Faith

5 Now the end of 5 For true Religion, especially the commandment that of the Gospel, confifts in none is charity, out of a of these impertinent Matters: The pure heart, and of a Grand Defign of it, and of our * good confcience, and of faith unfeigned. Preaching it, being to bring Men to the true Love of God and their Neighbour; from a Principle of pure Confcience, and a firm Belief of its Moral Doctrines and Precepts.

6 From which fome having fwerved, have turned afide unto vain jangling.

6. And 'tis the neglect of this main Thing that has turned the Heads of them and their Jewish Teachers to these frivolous Difputes, about Traditions and Pedigrees; Things that are full of Uncertainties, and void of all Advantage to true Religion.

7. They

Ver. 4. Rather than Edifying. It should be render'd, μᾶλλον ἡ οικονομίαν θες την εν πίςει. Which teach Men Sueftions, but not the true Difpenfation of the Gospel. For all MSS. read jt οἰκονομίαν, not οικοδομίαν. See Dr. Mill.

3.

* Ver 5. The End of the Commandment- Or rug wapay fɛxice, of our Preaching. I have expreffed both Senfes. But perhaps the ftrict Meaning of this Word is to be taken from Ver. Where St. Paul fays, I be fought thee fill to abide at Ephesus, iva #apaysians, that thou mighteft charge or warn fome, &c. Now, he fays, the End of this wapayas, Charge or Caution, is Charity, &c.

7 Defiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they lay, nor whereof they affirm. have any Certainty talk of.

8 But we know that

the law is good, if a
man use it lawfully.
9 Knowing this,
that the law is not
made for a righteous
man, but for the law.
lefs and difobedient,
for the ungodly, and
for finners, for unho-
ly and prophane, for
murtherers of fathers,
and murtherers of mo-
thers, for manflayers,
gers, for them that
defile themselves with
mankind, for men-
stealers, for lyars, for
perjur'd perfons, and
if there be any other
thing that is contrary
to found doctrine,

10 For whoremon

7. They fet up for Doctors, and A.D.65. Expounders of the Jewish Law; but understand little of the true Scope, and ultimate Defign of the Law they are fo zealous for; nor of the Traditions they fo confidently

8, 9 & 10. And whereas they reprefent Us as Contemners of the Mofaical Law in general; it is an ignorant and falfe Suggeftion. For we Chriftians allow that Religion to have been a Wife and Good Difpenfation; even the Ceremonials of it to have had their good Purpofes; viz. To be Figurative Reprefentations of Chrift, and his more Perfect Religion, and then to cease; and not to be of effential and perpetual Obligation*, as they vainly imagine, contrary to the very Defign of fuch kind of Inftitutions. And as to the more Subftantial Part of it, viz. the Moral Law, That we hold to be Perfect and Good, and still to remain fo: But then, we affirm, That Law does in no Inftance condemn a good || Chri- || dixxipt fian; (as they would perfuade Men) because it was made x against thofe very Vices, fuch as Impiety and False WorShip, Prophanation of Holy Things, Paricide, Murder, Uncleanness, Sodomy, Manftealing, Lying, Perjury, &c. all which the Gospel-Religion feverely condemns and punishes, as it does every other Inftance of Immorality, as much as ever the Law could do.

11. And

If a man ufe it Lawfully, voima, i. e. according to the Nature and Defign of the Jewish Ceremonial Law, viz. not efteeming that to be of the fame Neceffary and Eternal Obligation with the Moral; and Condemning all People as Apoftates from the One, because they do not think the fame of the other, as thofe Judaizing Chriftians do.

A.D.65.

11 According to the glorious gofpel of the bleffed God,

11. And, you know, I have always reprefented the pure and glorious Difpenfation of the Gospel, as deftructive of all Vice and Wickednefs: agreeable to the Ministerial Office with which God has been pleased to intrust Me.

which was committed
to my trust.

12 And I thank Chrift Jefus our Lord, who hath enabled me,

for that he counted

me faithful, putting
me into the ministry;

13 Who was before
a blafphemer, and a
perfecutor, and inju-
rious. But I obtained
mercy, because I did it
ignorantly in unbelief.

12. And I blefs and magnify God, for the great Favour of efteeming me worthy of it, and qualifying me for a faithful and fufficient Discharge of it by his Gifts and Graces bestowed on me.

13. On Me, I fay, who, for my former Rage and Blafphemy expreffed against Christ and all his Profeffors, did least deserve fuch a Favour. But God had Compaffion on me, as knowing I did it, not against the known Dictates of my Confcience, but from + See Acts the Fury of mifguided Zeal and Prejudice t.

xxvi. 9, 3, 17, 13, 27.

|| Ver. 4, 6, 7.

14 And the grace
of our Lord was
exceeding abundant,
with faith, and love

which is in Christ
Jefus.

*

15 This is a faithful faying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Chrift Jefus came into the World to fave finners, of whom I am chief.

14. Which eminent Degree of Divine Favour, I have endeavour'd to improve into a perfect Faith in Jefus Chrift, and a zealous Love for the Promotion of his true Religion.

15. While, therefore, the Jewish Difputes, about Traditions and Pedigrees, are built upon nothing but Vanity and Uncertainty; our Chriftian Religion is founded in

this undoubted Truth, this Great and Comfortable Fat, of Jefus Chrift's Incarnation and Sufferings for the Salvation of finful

* Ver 15. A faithful faying, wis doy, a true thing: For y is the fame as in the Hebrew, fignifying Things or Facts as well as Words. And wis faithful, fignifies being truly or faithfully reprefented, agreeably to the wise, the Faith or Religion of the Gospel. So to be found faithful, is to preach the Gospel truly and faithfully, in Oppofition to the Errors and Mifreprefentations of others.

finful Mankind, whereof I my felf am a moft fignal A. D. 65. Example. And if the pardoning Mercy of the Gospel be extended to fo remarkable an Offender, to so notorious a Perfecutor of the Truth as I have been; why should it be thought to be denied to the repenting Gentiles?

16 Howbeit, for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me firft Jefus Chrift might fhew forth all longfuffering, for a pattern to them which fhould hereafter believe on

him to life everlasting. 17 Now unto the *king eternal, immortal, invifible, the only wife God, be honour and glory for

ever and ever. Amen.

18 This charge I commit unto thee, fon Timothy, according to the Prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mighteit war a good warfare.

16. And certainly God has been pleased, by this great Inftance of his Mercy toward Me, to fhow all true penitent Believers, of every Nation, how ready and gracioufly willing He is to accept and reward them with Eternal Life, upon their fincere Profeffion of Chrift's Religion.

17. For which, may all Honour and Glory be for ever afcribed to God the Eternal, Invifible, and All-wife Governour of the World, and all the feveral Difpenfations * of it.

18. Of this excellent and admirable Religion, my dear Convert Timothy, have I Ordained you a Minifter, and now Conftituted you Bishop over the Churches I left you in, as a Perfon marked out by the Predictions of the Holy Spirit for that Office. A very High Truft indeed! take care, therefore, to answer thofe Prophetick Characters given of you, by a due and conscientious Discharge of it.

19 Holding faith and a good confcience, which fome having put away, concerning faith have made shipwreck.

20 Of

19 By ftudying, and firmly adhering to the Chriftian Faith, and adorning and confirming that Faith by a confcientious Practice, confidering how much a disagreeable and impure Life will endanger and corrupt the best Principles.

20. As

The King Eternal, or Barsau var árar, The Ruler of the

Ages, or Difpenfations.

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20 Of whom is Hymeneus and Alexander, whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blafpheme.

20. As may be seen in the particular Inftance of Hymeneus and Alexander, whom for venting their notorious Errors, and oppofing the Doctrine I Preach, I have now Excommunicated from the Christian

Church, and delivered up to Satan; till by a fufficient Punishment, both of Mind and Body, they be brought to Repentance and Reformation.

CHA P. II.

The CONTENTS.

Directions to Timothy for the Management of his Church. Prayers to be made for Heathen Governours, and Gentile People, as well as Chriftian; it being the gracious Defign of God to give to them all the Offers of the Gospel Covenant and Privileges, without Diftinction. Chrift the Saviour, and God the Creator and Governour both of Jew and Gentile. The Apostle declares himself à Preacher to both. Publick Prayer and Worship to be no longer confined to the Jewish Temple and Synagogue, but to be performed in the Chriftian Assemblies of Every Nation, with Reverence and Regularity, Charity and Faith. Women enjoined to appear at the Publick Ajemblies in a decent Garb, with Modefty, Silence, and Subjection, according to the Original Laws of the Creation, and the Circumftances of the firft Tranfgreffion. Marriage and Child-bearing no way impure and inconfiftent with true and faving Religion, as fome of the Jewish Zealots pretended. Chastity and Sobriety the Special Duty of ChriAian Women.

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