PAUL A COMMENTARY. THE EPISTLE TO TITUS. CHAP. I. AUL, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and a 2 Tim. ii. 25. *the acknowledging of the truth which is after & vi. 3. godliness; b b 1 Tim. iii, 16. 1. "Paul, a servant of God, and an Apostle of Jesus Christ." He usually styles himself the servant (or slave) of Jesus Christ; here the servant of God. "You observe," says St. Chrysostom, "how he uses these expressions indifferently, sometimes calling himself the servant of God, and sometimes of Jesus Christ; thus making no difference between the Father and the Son (of course as regards the dignity and perfections of their Divine Nature)." 66 'According to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging," &c. Most commentators agree in interpreting this "according to (karà), as meaning "with a view to," "in furtherance of," the faith or belief of the elect of God in the hearts of men. St. Paul was a servant of God, and an Apostle of Jesus Christ, in order that those chosen by God might hold the faith "once for all delivered to the saints," and realize it in all its fulness, for such seems to mean the word "acknowledging." It is the full or perfect knowledge. Still we must remember that all truth has not only to be embraced by the soul, but to be acknowledged in the face of the world. "Which is after godliness." All parts of the truth, every aspect of it, every principle which it embodies, is designed to 4 | Or, For. c 2 Tim. i. 1. ch. iii. 7. d Num. xxiii. 19. 2 Tim. ii. 13. e Rom. xvi. 25. 2 Tim. i. 9. IN HOPE OF ETERNAL LIFE. C [TITUS. d 2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; e 3 But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me g 1 Pet. i. 20. f 2 Tim. i. 10. g 1 Thess. ii. 4. 1 Tim. i. 11. 2. "Before the world began." Literally, "before eternal ages." bring us to God, and to His obedience, and so is "according to godliness." 2. "In hope of eternal life." "In hope," that is, "resting on," "animated by " the hope of eternal life. “Which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began.” "That cannot lie." This has been supposed to be interjected, as it were, because of the besetting sin of the Cretians (verse 12); but may it not be a reminiscence of such words as "The strength of Israel will not lie nor repent" (1 Sam. xv. 29) ? "Promised before the world began." A promise implies not only a promiser, but a person to whom the promise is made. To whom was the promise made? Evidently to the Eternal Word— the Second Person in the Godhead in the view of His Incarnation and consequent Reconciliation of all things to God. Note here the anxiety of the Apostle to shew that the Gospel, and what it involved, "the bringing of all men to God" (John xii. 32), was no new thing, but was in the counsels of the Blessed Trinity from all eternity. This was, of course, in answer to his unbelieving countrymen, who rejected it because, in their eyes, it was new: whereas their Prophets, their Psalmists, their wise men, all revealed it as the purpose of God-hidden in one sense, but to be revealed in its time. 66 3. "But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching." In due times," after all expedients, the natural light, the law, philosophy, had been tried and been found utterly wanting to provide a remedy, when the chosen people had most deeply revolted, and the iniquity of the Amorites, i.e., of the Gentiles, was full, then God made known the true and only possible remedy -the preaching of the Gospel. "Through preaching," through heralding. Chrysostom has a fine passage noting the distinction between preaching and teaching. CHAP. I.] h MINE OWN SON. according to the commandment of God our h 1 Tim. i. 1. Saviour; i k 4 To Titus, mine own son after the common m faith: 5 & ii. 3. & iv. 10. 1 2 Cor. ii. 13. & vii. 13. & viii. 6, 16, 23. & xii. 18. Gal. .3. k 1 Tim. i. 2. 1 Rom. i. 12. 2 Cor. iv. 13. 2 Pet. i. 1. m Eph. i. 2. Col. i. 2. 4. "Mine own son." "My true child." "Mercy" omitted by N, C.; retained by A., K., L., and most Cursives. 1 Tim. i. 2. 2 Tim. i. 2. "For as a herald proclaims in the theatre in the presence of all, so also we preach; adding nothing, but declaring the things which we have heard. For the excellence of a herald consists in proclaiming to all what has really happened, not in adding or taking away anything. If, therefore, it is necessary to preach, it is necessary to do it with boldness of speech. Otherwise it is not preaching. On this account Christ did not say. Tell it upon the housetops,' but preach upon the housetops,' shewing by both the place and the manner what was to be done." Bishop Wordsworth has a long and able note upon "His word " as meaning the Personal Word, the Logos, to which I refer the reader, and it seems more consonant with the sentence "manifested His word through preaching." 46 "Which was committed to me," i.e., with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Saviour." When was the commandment given? The voice of the Father was never heard, but the word of the Son to St. Paul was "Depart, for I will send thee far hence to the Gentiles;" but all God's providence with respect to St. Paul, from his separation in his mother's womb onwards, was by the ordination and direction of God to bring about that he should be the Apostle of the Gentiles. "In 4. "To Titus, mine own son after the common faith." His own genuine son, not according to the flesh, but according to the faith, the one faith, "the faith once for all delivered to the Saints." It seems the same idea as he expresses in 1 Corinth. iv. 15: Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the Gospel." "Grace, mercy, and peace.' The word "mercy 99 seems doubtful, as the reader will see by the critical note. Still, if it be rejected, we have to face the question how it is that St. Paul twice sends to Timothy a greeting which includes mercy, and to Titus one |