of God, require thee fo to do; that thou mayeft charge the Judaizers, not to teach differently from the infpired apostles of Christ. 4 Nor to inculcate fabulous traditions, invented to prove that men cannot be faved unless they obey the law of Mofes; and uncertain genealogies, by which every Jew endeavours to trace his defcent from Abraham, and which by their uncertainty occafion difputes, rather than the great edification which is through a right faith only. 5 Now the fcope of the charge, to be given by thee to these teachers, is, that inftead of inculcating fables and genealogies, they inculcate love to God and man, proceeding from a pure heart, and directed by a good confcience, and nourished by unfeigned faith in the gofpel doctrine. 6 From which things feme teachers having fwerved, have in their difcourfes turned afide to foolish talking; talking which ferves no purpofe but to difcover their own folly, and to nourish folly in their dif ciples. I have followed the reading of the common edition adopted by the English translators, as it gives a good fenfe of the paffage. Ver. 5.-1. Now the fcope of the charge. The word wapayyṛha, denotes a message, or order brought to one from another, and delivered by word of mouth. The charge here meant, is that which the apoftle ordered Timothy to deliver to the teachers in Ephefus. For he had faid, ver. 3. I intreated thee to remain, &c. So do, iva magnyyuλns, that thou mayeft charge fome. Here he told him what the the scope of his charge was to be. See ver. 18.-Others, think wapayya, here fignifies the gospel. But I do not remember that this word has that fenfe any where in fcripture. 2. Unfeigned faith. According to Benfon, the apoftle in this expreffion had thofe Judaizing teachers in his eye, who, to gain the unbelieving Jews, taught doctrines which they knew to be falfe: fo that their faith in these doctrines was feigned. Ver. 6. From which things fome baving fwerved. The verb arex? ☛tes, as Theophylact obferves, fignifies to err from the mark at which one 7 Defiring to be teachers of the law; underftanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm. 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 lawlefs and difobedient, for the ungodly and for finners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manflayers, 10 For whoremongers, for them that defile them 1ο Πορνοις, αρσενοκοι ανδραποδιςαις, ψευ felves with mankind, for ταις, men-ftealers, for liars, for salς, επιορκοις, και Εσ TI perjured perfons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to found doctrine; 11 According to the glorious gofpel of the bleffed ἕτερον τη υγιαίνεση διδασκα λια αντικείται. one shoots; and is elegantly used in this place, as TEλog was introduced in the preceding verfe. Ver. 7. Teachers of the law. Νομοδιδάσκαλος, properly fignifies a doctor of the law, and is of the fame import with the Hebrew word Rabbi. Ver. 9. Is not made for a righteous man, &c. The law of Mofes being given as a rule of life to the good as well as the bad, the apoftle's meaning doubtlefs is, that it was given, not for the purpofe of juftifying the moft righteous man that ever lived, but for reftraining the wicked by its threatenings and punishments. This will appear ftill more clearly, if the doctrine of the Judaizers is confidered. They affirmed, that obedience to the law of Mofes was the only way in which men could be faved; understanding by obedience, one's doing the things which that law enjoined; or in cafe of failure, his having recourse to the atonement which it prefcribed for the offence. But to overturn this corrupt doctrine, the apoftle here declared, that the law of Mofes was not given for the purpose of juftifying any man, not even the righteous, but merely for reftraining the lawlefs and diforderly by its threatenings and punishments; fo that it was not a reli ΙΟ gious I 7 Defiring to be teachers of the law, though they neither underland what they fay, nor (weet τίνων) concerning what things they strongly affirm. 8 We know indeed that the law is good, if one ufe it lawfully, 9 Knowing this that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for. the lawlefs and diforderly, the ungodly and fin ners, the unholy and profane, murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, manflayers, 7 As thou mayeft know by this, that They fet themselves up as teachers of the law of Mofes, though they underftand neither what they themselves fay concerning it, nor the nature of the law which they establish. 8 I acknowledge indeed that the law of Mofes is an excellent inflitution, if one ufe it agreeably to the end for which it was given. 9 Now we know this, that the law is not made for juftifying a righteous man, but for condemning and punishing the lawless (fee John iii. 4. note 2.) and diforderly, namely, atheists and idolaters; perfons polluted with vice, and who are excluded from things facred, murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, those who flay others unjustly. 10 Fornicators and fodomites, manflealers, liars, those who perjure themfelves; and if any other practice be oppofite to the doctrine, which preferves the foul in health, the law was made to restrain and punish it. 11 This view of the law I give According to the glorious gospel of the gious inftitution, but a mere municipal law, whereby God, as king o the Jews, governed them in Canaan as his people or fubjects.-It is thought by fome that in the catalogue of finners given in this and in the following verse, the apostle had the ten commandments in his eye. Ver. 10.-1. Manfealers. They who make war for the inhuman purpofe of felling the vanquished as flaves, as is the practice of the African princes, are really manftealers. And they, who like the African traders, encourage that unchriftian traffic by purchasing the flaves which they know to be thus unjustly acquired, are partakers in their crime. 2. Wholefome doctrine. According to the apoftle, wholesome doctrine is that which condemns wicked practices. On the other hand, the doctrine which encourages men to fin, or which makes them easy under fin, is in the apoftle's eftimation, unwholesome. Ver. 11.-1. Glorious gofpel. The gofpel is called glorious, because in it the light of true doctrine shines brightly. God, which was committed της δόξης τα μακαριά Θε8, to my truft. ο επιστεύθην εγώ. 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 injurious: but Iobtained mercy, becaufe I did it ignorantly in unbelief. 14 And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant, with faith and love, which is in Chrift 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. 12 Και χάριν έχω το ενδυναμώσαντι με Χρισῳ 1ησε τω Κυρίῳ ἡμων, ότι πιο σου με ήγησατο, θεμένος εις διακονίαν, 13 του πρότερον οντα βλασφημον και διωκτην και ύβριςην αλλ' ηλεήθην, ότι αγνοών εποίησα εν απισ 14 Υπερεπλεονασε η χάρις τε Κυρίε ήμων με ή δε τα πιςεως και αγαπης της εν Χρισώ Ιησε. 15 Πιςος ὁ λόγος, και πασης αποδοχής οξιος, ότι Χρις ο Ιησες ήλθεν εις τον κοσμον αμαρτωλός σώσαι, ών πρωτο ειμι εγώ. 2. Of the bleffed God. The epithet of bleffed, is given to God, becaufe being infinitely and independently happy in himself, he stands in no need of any of his creatures to make him happy. Ver. 12. Who hath firengthened me. Before his afcenfion, Chrift promifed the fpiritual gifts to his apoftles under the name of δυναμις, power or firength from on high, Acts i. 8. Hence the fpiritual gifts are termed, 2 Cor. xii. 9. ἡ δύναμις το Xpire the power, or Arength of Chril. Wherefore the phrafe in this verfe, ενδυναμώσαντι με, who hath frengthened, or, empowered me, means, who hath beftowed on me infpi ration and miraculous powers, to fit me for being an apoftle. Ver. 13. I aded ignorantly in unbelief. In the inftance of Paul, we fee how much guilt, a man who is not at pains to inform himself, may through ignorance contract, without going contrary to his confcience. At the time Paul was doing things which, after he became an apostle, made him call himself the chief of finners, he was touching the law blameless, and thought that in perfecuting the Chriftians, he was doing God fervice. Ver. 14. 1. And the grace of our Lordl. Some are of opinion, that χαρι;, here, as 1 Cor. xv. 10. is ufed in the fenfe of χαρισμα, Τo that the tranflation might run, And the spiritual gift of our Lord hath fuper• abounded, &c. But this makes no difference in the fenfe of the pallage, fince bleffed God' with which infinitely and independently bleed God, with the preaching of which I am entrusted. I am entrusted. Norv 12 (Kai, 204.) I thank Chrift Jefus our Lord, who hath Strengthened me, because he reckoned me faithful when he appointed me to the ministry; 13 Who was formerly a defamer, and a perfecutor, and an injurious perfon. But I received mercy, because I acted igno. rantly in unbelief'. 12 Now I thank Chrift Jefus our Lord, who ftrengthened me for preaching it, by bestowing on me the gifts of infpiration and miracles, becaufe he knew that I would be faithful to my truft, when he appointed me to the apostleship. 13 Who was formerly a defamer of him and of his doctrine, and a perfecutor of his difciples, and an injurious perfon in my behaviour towards them. But I received pardon (ver. 16.) because I acted from ignorance, being in a state of unbelief, and fancying that I was doing God fervice. 14 And in thus pardoning me, and making me his apostle, the goodnefs of our Lord hath fuperabounded towards me, accompanied with the faith and love which is required by Christ Jefus, but in which I was greatly deficient formerly. 15 This faying is true, and worthy of cordial and univerfal reception, that Chrift Jefus came into the world to fave finners, of whom, on account of my rage againft Chrift and his difciples, I reckon myself the chief, I mean of those who have finned through ig norance. fince the miraculous gifts with which he was endowed, were the effects of Chrift's goodness to him. 2. Hath fuperabounded in me with faith and love. By faith, the apoftle means fuch a just notion of the power and wisdom of God, as led him to fee that God neither needs, nor requires his fervants to pro. mote his çaufe by perfecution, or any cruelty whatever.--By love, he means, fuch benevolence, as difpofed him to allow all men the exercise of the right, which he himself claimed, of judging for himself in matters of religion. In thefe virtues, the apoftle was very deficient before his converfion: But after it, they fuperabounded in him. Ver. 15.-1. This faying is true. Πισος ὁ λόγος. fignifies believing as well as faithful, Gal. iii. 9. note. The word πις: 059 the |