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22 The Lord Jesus

22 Ο Κύριος Ιησούς Χρι

Christ be with thy spirit. ςος μετα του πνεύματος σου.

Grace be with you.

Amen.

χαρις μεθ' υμων. Αμην.

along with Paul, as the ancients affirm, he must have come to Rome after Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy.

22 The Lord Jesus Christ BE with thy spirit. Grace BE with you. Amen.

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22 May the Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit, to strengthen thee in all difficulties and dangers, as he hath strengthened me, (ver. 17.) Grace be with you in Ephesus, who maintain the truth.

Amen.

Ver. 22.-1. Grace be with you. This being a benediction, distinct from the one bestowed on Timothy, it was designed for such of the brethren in Ephesus, as maintained the truth of the gospel in purity.

A NEW

LITERAL TRANSLATION

OF

ST. PAUL'S EPISTLE TO TITUS.

PREFACE.

SECTION I.

The History of Titus, collected from Paul's Epistles. ALTHOUGH Titus was a person of such eminence among the first preachers of the gospel, that St. Paul wrote to him the letter in the canon of scripture which bears his name, for the purpose of directing him how to discharge the duties of his office, his name is not so much as once mentioned by Luke in his book of the Acts. His history therefore must consist of such particulars as are related of him, in the apostle Paul's epistles, where indeed he is often mentioned with great respect, and of such probable conjectures as these particulars naturally suggest.

That Titus was converted by Paul, appears from his calling him his genuine son by the common faith, Tit. i. 1. Yet at what time, and in what place Paul converted him, he hath no where told us. They who think Titus was a religious proselyte before his conversion, are of opinion that he was converted at Antioch, soon after Paul and Barnabas came to that city from Tarsus, as mentioned Acts xi. 25.-But others, supposing him to have been originally an idolatrous Gentile, conjecture that his conversion happened in some of the countries of the Lesser Asia, through which Paul travelled in the course of his first apostolical journey; the history of which is given, Acts, chapters xiii. xiv. What is certain is, that Titus was with Paul in Antioch before the Council of Jerusalem; and that having distinguished himself after his conversion, by his piety and zeal, he was one

of those whom the church of Antioch sent to Jerusalem, to consult the apostles and elders concerning the circumcision of the converted proselytes, fourteen years after Paul's own conversion; that is in the year 49, Gal. ii. 1, 2.—When the messengers from the church of Antioch came to Jerusalem, the apostles, elders, and brethren assembled; and after reasoning on that question, decreed that it was not necessary to circumcise the converted Gentile proselytes. Nevertheless, the Judaizers in Jerusalem zealously endeavoured on that occasion, to have Titus circumcised. So the apostle insinuates, Gal. ii. 3. where he saith, Not even Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised.―Here it is proper to remark, that the Jews called all the idolatrous Gentiles Edλnves, Greeks: for in their manner of speaking, Jews and Greeks comprehended the whole of mankind. See Rom. i. 16. note 3. According to this interpretation of the appellation, from the apostle's calling Titus a Greek, it may be inferred that before his conversion he was an idolatrous Gentile. The same thing appears likewise from the attempt of the Judaizers to force him to be circumcised. For after the decree of the Council was passed, freeing the converted proselytes from obedience to the law of Moses, if Titus, before his conversion, had been one of that denomination, the Judaizers could not with any shew of reason have insisted on his circumcision. Yet, as the Council had determined nothing respecting the converts from among the idolatrous Gentiles, some of the zealous Judaizers, who by stealth introduced themselves into the private meeting, in which Paul explained to James, Peter, and John the gospel which he preached among the Gentiles, when they found out that Titus before his conversion was an idolater, might insist to have him circumcised, on pretence, that he was not freed from circumcision by the Council's decree. But this attempt, to subject a Gentile convert to the law of Moses, Paul resolutely withstood, that the truth of the gospel might remain with the Gentiles, Gal. ii. 5.

After the Council, when Paul and Barnabas, accompanied by Judas and Silas, returned to Antioch, to give the brethren an account of what had happened at Jerusalem, Titus, İ suppose, returned with them; and, from that time forth, seems to have accompanied Paul in his travels, as one of his assistants. For when the apostle set out from Antioch, to visit the churches which he had gathered among the Gentiles in his first apostolical journey, and to confirm them by delivering to them the de

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