8 manifest that neither can we carry any thing out; Having then food and covering, with these let us be content. 9 But they that desire to be rich, fall into temptation and

a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful desires, which 10 plunge men into destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evils; which some coveting, have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through 11 with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, 12 love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold of eternal life, to which thou hast been called, and hast confessed the good confession before many 13 witnesses. I charge thee before God, who quickeneth all things, and Christ Jesus, who witnessed the good 14 confession before Pontius Pilate, That thou keep the

commandment without spot, unrebukable, until the

heap together so many things? O, give me one thing: a safe and ready › passage to my own country.

V. s. Covering That is, raiment and a house to cover us. a Christian needs, and all that his religion allows him to desire.

This is all that

V. 9. They that desire to be rich-To have more than these, (for then they would be so far rich, and the very desire banishes content, and exposes them to ruin,) fall, plunge-A sad gradation! into a temptation-Miserable food for the soul! and a snare-Or trap: dreadful covering! and into many foolish and hurtful desires-Which are sown and fed by having more than we need. Then farewell all hope of content! What then remains, but destruction for the body, and perdition for the soul?

V. 10. Love of money-Commonly called prudent care, of what a man has, is the root-The parent of all manner of evils, which some coveting, have erred -Literally, missed the mark. They aimed not at faith, but at something else, and pierced themselves with many sorrows-From a guilty conscience, tormenting passions, desires contrary to reason, religion, and one another. How cruel are worldly men to themselves!

V. 11. But thou, O man of God-Whatever all the world else do, (a man of God is either a prophet, a messenger of God, or a man devoted to God, a man of another world,) fee, as from a serpent, instead of coveting these things; follow after righteousness-The whole image of God; though sometimes this word is used, not in the general, but in the particular acceptation, meaning only that single branch of it which is termed justice; faith-Which is also taken here in the general and full sense; namely, a divine supernatural sight of God, chiefly in respect of his mercy in Christ. This faith is the foundation of righteousness, the support of godliness, the root of every grace of the Spirit; love This St. Paul intermixes with every thing that is good; he, as it were, penetrates whatever he treats of with love, the glorious spring of all inward and outward holiness.

V. 12. Fight the good fight of faith-Not about words: lay hold on eternal life-Just before thee. Thou hast confessed the good confession-(Perhaps at his baptism.) So likewise, ver. 13, but with a remarkable variation of the evpression: Thou hast confessed the good confession before many witnesses-To which they all assented: Christ witnessed the good confession; but Pilate did not assent to it.

V. 13. I charge thee before God who quickeneth all things-Who hath quickened thee, and will quicken thee at the great day.

15 appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, Which in his own times the blessed and only Potentate will shew, the King 16 of kings, and Lord of lords: Who only hath immortality, dwelling in light unapproachable, whom no man hath seen, neither can see; to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.

17 Charge the rich in this world not to be high-minded, neither to trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, 18 who giveth us richly all things to enjoy: To do good, to be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to 19 communicate, Treasuring up for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

20 O Timotheus, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane, empty babblings, and oppositions 21 of knowledge falsely so called: Which some professing, have erred from the faith. Grace be with thee.

V. 15. Which-Appearing; in his own times-The power, the knowledge, and the revelation of which, remain in his eternal mind.

V. 16. Who only hath-Underived, independent, immortality, dwelling in light unapproachable-To the highest angel; whom no man hath seen, or can see-With bodily eyes. Yet we shall see him as he is.

V. 17. What follows seems to be a kind of postscript. Charge the rich in this world-Rich in such beggarly riches as this world affords, not to be highminded-(0, who regards this?) Not to think better of themselves for their money, or any thing it can purchase; neither to trust in uncertain riches(Which they may lose in an hour,) either for happiness or defence; but in the living God-All the rest is dead clay: who giveth us-As it were, holding them out in his hand, all things-Which we have, richly-Freely, abundantly, to enjoy-As his gift, in him and for him. When we use them thus, we do indeed enjoy all things-Where else is there any notice taken of the rich, in all the apostolic writings, save to denounce woes and vengeance upon them?

V. 18. To do good-To make this their daily employ, that they may be rich -May abound, in all good works; ready to distribute-Singly to particular persons; willing to communicate-To join in all public works of charity.

V. 19. Treasuring up for themselves a good foundation-Of an abundant reward, by the free mercy of God, that they may lay hold on eternal life-This cannot be done by alms deeds: yet they come up for a memorial before God, Acts x. 4. And the lack, even of this, may be the cause why God will withhold grace and salvation from us.

V. 20. Keep that which is committed to thy trust-The charge I have given thee, chap. i. 18, avoid profane, empty babblings-How weary of controversy was this acute disputant! and knowledge falsely so called-Most of the ancient heretics were great pretenders to knowledge,

NOTES

ON

THE SECOND EPISTLE OF ST. PAUL TO TIMOTHY.

THIS Epistle was probably written by St. Paul, during his second confinement at Rome, not long before his martyrdom. It is, as it were, the swan's dying song. But though it was written many years after the former, yet they are both of the same kind, and nearly resemble each other.

IT HAS THREE PARTS:

1. The Inscription,

II. An Invitation, Come to me, variously expressed;
1. Having declared his love to Timothy,
he exhorts him, Be not ashamed of me,
and subjoins various Examples,

C. i. 1, 2

3-5

6-14

15-18

The latter;

with farther Directions concerning his own Behaviour: 15. C. iv. 8

3. Come quickly. Here St. Paul

1. Mentions his being left alone,

2. Directs to bring his Books,

3. Gives a Caution concerning Alexander,

4. Observes the Inconstancy of Men, and the Faithfulness of

God,

4. Come before Winter: Salutations,

III. The concluding Blessing,

9

10-12

13

14, 15

16-18 19-21

22

JJ. Timothy.

CHAP. I. 1. PAUL, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God, according to the promise of life, which 2 is by Christ Jesus, To Timotheus my beloved son, grace, mercy, peace, from God the Father, and Christ Jesus our Lord.

3 I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with a pure conscience, that I have remembrance of thee in my 4 prayers, without ceasing night and day, Longing to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled 5 with joy; Remembering the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy 6 mother Eunice; I am persuaded in thee also. Wherefore I remind thee of stirring up the gift of God which is 7 in thee, by the laying on of my hands. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and love, 8 and sobriety. Therefore be not thou ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel, according to the 9 power of God, Who hath saved and called us with a

CHAP. I. Ver. 3. Whom I serve from my forefathers-That is, whom both I and my ancestors served, with a pure conscience-He always worshipped God according to his conscience, both before and after his conversion. One who stands on the verge of life, is much refreshed by the remembrance of his predecessors, to whom he is going.

V. 4. Being mindful of thy tears-Perhaps frequently shed, as well as at the apostle's last parting with him.

V. 5. Which dwelt-A word not applied to a transient guest, but only to a settled inhabitant, first-Probably this was before Timothy was born; yet not beyond St. Paul's memory.

V. 6. Wherefore-Because I remember this, I remind thee of stirring upLiterally, blowing up the coals into a flame; the gift of God All the spiritual gifts, which the grace of God has given thee.

V. 7. And let nothing discourage thee; for God hath not given us—That is, the Spirit which God hath given us Christians, is not the spirit of fear—Or cowardice, but of power,-Banishing fear; and love, and sobriety-These animate us in our duties to God, our brethren, and ourselves. Power and sobriety are two good extremes. Love is between, the tie and temperament of both; preventing the two bad extremes, of fearfulness and rashness. More is said concerning power, ver. 8; concerning love, ch. ii. 14, &c.; concerning sobriety, ch. iii. ver. 1, &c.

V. 8. Therefore be not thou ashamed-When fear is banished, evil shame also flees away; of the testimony of our Lord-The gospel, and of testifying the truth of it to all men; nor of me-The cause of the servants of God doing his work, cannot be separated from the cause of God himself. But be thou partaker of the afflictions-Which I endure for the gospel's sake, according to the power of God-That which overcomes all things is nervously described in the

two next verses.

V.9 Who hath saved us-By faith. The love of the Father, the grace of

holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ 10 Jesus, before the world began; But is now made manifest, by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immor11 tality to light through the gospel: Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of 12 the Gentiles. For which cause also I suffer these things: yet I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have trusted, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which Í 13 have committed to him, until that day. Hold fast the pattern of sound words, which thou hast heard from me, 14 in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. The good

thing which is committed to thee keep, through the Holy 15 Spirit, who dwelleth in us. This thou knowest, that all

who are in Asia are turned away from me, of whom are 16 Phygellus and Hermogenes. The Lord give mercy to the family of Onesiphorus; for he hath often refreshed 17 me, and hath not been ashamed of my chain: But when

he was at Rome, he sought me out very diligently and 18 found me. The Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord in that day: And in how many things he served me at Ephesus, thou knowest very well.

CHAP. II. 1. Thou, therefore, my son, be strong 2 through the grace which is by Jesus Christ. And the

our Saviour, and the whole economy of salvation, are here admirably describ ed: having called us with a holy calling-Which is all from God, and claims us all for God; according to his own purpose and grace-That is, his own gracious purpose, which was given us—) -Fixed for our advantage, before the world began.

V. 10. By the appearing of our Saviour-This implies his whole abode upon earth: who hath abolished death-Taken away its sting, and turned it into a blessing, and hath brought life and immortality to light-Hath clearly revealed by the gospel that immortal life which he hath purchased for us.

V. 12. That which I have committed to him-My soul: until that day-Of his final appearing.

V. 13. The pattern of sound words-The model of pure, wholesome doctrine. V. 14. The good thing-This wholesome doctrine.

V. 15. All who are in Asia-Who had attended me at Rome for a while: are turned away from me-What, from Paul the aged, the faithful soldier, and now prisoner of Christ! This was a glorious trial, 'and wisely reserved for that time, when he was on the borders of immortality. Perhaps a little measure of the same spirit might remain with him, under whose picture are those affecting words, "The true effigy of Francis Xavier, apostle of the Indies, forsaken of all men, dying in a cottage "

V. 16. The family of Onesiphorus-As well as himself; hath often refreshed me-Both at Ephesus and Rome.

CHAP. II. Ver. 2. The things-The wholesome doctrine, ch. i. 13. Commit -Before thou leavest Ephesus, to faithful men, who will be able-After thou art gone to teach others.