1 Timothy 4

1 Timothy 4:6

Paul gives many good advices to Timothy, to an essentials of religion, patiently to endure all aff with the most exact decorum and exemplary c improve the gifts with which God had honoure ification of the church and the salvation of so 6, to the end.

1 TIMOTHY IV. 6.

IF thou shalt be careful frequently to suggest these great and weighty things,ᵃ of which I have now been writing to the brethren who are committed to thy charge, and to remind them of their importance with becoming zeal and affection, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, and shalt act as may be expected from one who has been nourished up from his very childhood in the words of faith and of good doctrine, which thou hast accurately traced out, and followed with suitable diligence. But these profane and old wives fables,ᵇ of which many of the Jewish allegorical and traditionary teachers are so fond, do thou reject as things altogether unworthy of thy regard, and rather take care strenuously to exercise thyself in those doctrines and practices which have the most immediate tendency to promote real godliness. For that bodily exercise, about which many are so solicitous, and in the pursuit of which they go through so many fatigues, in preparing for, and attending the public games, is profitable to but very little,ᶜ the best rewards of it being of

ᵃ Suggest.] Raphelius on the place justy observes, that this is the exact signification of the word ὑπόβημεν. For the import of ἀρχικολήθηκα, see on Luke i. 3.

ᵇ Old wives fables.] This undoubtedly signifies Jewish traditions. Compare chap. i. 4, 6; Tit. i. 14. If they were such as those with which the rabbinical writers, so far as I have had an opportunity of judg-

ing of them, abound, nothing ever better deserved the name, they being not only the most incredible, but the most insipid and senseless tales any where to be met with.

ᶜ Bodily exercise is profitable to little.] Ἐνάστιν. It seems much more reasonable, with Dr. Whitby, and Dr. Edwards, (on Script. Vol. II. p. 167, 168,) to refer this to the celebrated exercises at the G

ecommen s the study of practical religion.

a very transient and fading nature; but true, substantial, practical godliness is profitable to all things, having the promise both of the present and future life; naturally tending to promote our real happiness in this world, and being surely and alone effectual to secure the blessedness of the next. This [is] a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptance; receive it therefore and retain it carefully, and inculcate it upon those who are committed to thy charge, or whom thou mayest be concerned in setting apart for the ministry. For the advancement of this godliness is the end of all the hardships we encounter; while we both pass through the most fatiguing labour, and suffer the sharpest reproach and the most violent outrage, because we have hoped, and continue to hope, in the protection and favour of the living God, who is the Saviour and Preserver of all men, by his gracious providence, and especially of the faithful souls who cordially believe and sincerely obey the gospel; for whom he reserves the most invaluable blessings of a future state, and whom he will guide safely to it, through all the dangers of this. These, my dear Timothy, are things of the greatest importance, and there-

cian games, (of which Dr. West has given so entertaining and useful an account in the Dissertation prefixed to his Pindar,) than to those severities of the Jewish Essenes which some other commentators mention. These strenuous exercises might promote strength and courage, they would naturally raise high emulation, and the victors received great honours, and sometimes valuable immunities and privileges. Perhaps, indeed, some of these might hardly balance personal injuries they might meet with in them; and many had suffered much who received no reward at all. But the apostle stands not on this: he plainly intimates, that where men succeed best, the greatest advantages they received by their victory all fell infinitely short of those which true religion secures.

a Promise of the present and future life] Godliness, under the New Testament dispensation, has no particular promise of wealth, or reputation, or wealth, or any other individual blessing, though in its natural consequences it wears a most friendly aspect upon all, but it has the promise of comfort and happiness in general; and that

declaration of Christ, that the good man shall receive an hundred fold, even in the midst of persecution, if that should be his lot, (Mark x. 30,) might alone be sufficient to vindicate the apostle in this assertion. I have often wondered, that so great a man, as the present bishop of London, should suppose a reference here to the covenant with Noah, by which he supposes the original fertility of the earth was restored after the deluge; since there are so many other temporal promises made to the righteous; and the benefit of this is common both to good and bad men, admitting his lordship’s hypothesis as to the sense of it. See Dr. Sherl. on Proph. p. 111.

a Saviour of all men] This seems a title parallel to that in Job vii. 20: Preserver of men; but he is especially the Saviour of believers, as he extends to them the noblest and most important deliverance.

b These are things of the greatest importance] The following expression, of giving them in charge, shews, that these words refer not merely to what was mentioned in the former clause, but to the whole preceding discourse.

VOL. 5.

He ex iorts him to be an example to the church,

fore give them solemnly in charge, and teach them to all, as thou hast opportunity.

And, that thou mayest inculcate them with the greater efficacy, let it be thy care to behave in such a manner, that no man may be able to despise thy youth; but, on the contrary, let thy whole behaviour command a reverence to it, while others see that, young as thou art in years, thou art old in wisdom, piety, and universal goodness. Be thou therefore an example to all the faithful in prudent and useful speech, in a grave, steady, and consistent conversation, in unbounded love, and in a candid yet zealous spirit, in uniform and incorruptible fidelity, and in unspotted purity, by which all suspicion of evil shall be avoided, and even all occasion of apology superseded. And till I come back to Ephesus, to take thee along with me, if Providence favour my purpose of returning, or if not, till I may have an interview with thee elsewhere, make the best improvement of thy time, as considering the greatness of thy work, and the various furniture which it requires. In this view, attend to reading the scriptures and other useful writings, and to the important care of exhortation, and to teaching both in public and private. Neglect not, by proper and strenuous exercise, to rouse and cultivate that gift of God’s Holy Spirit which is in thee, which was given thee in a large and sensible effusion on that ever memorable day, when thou wert set apart to thy sacred office by the ministration of those who had the gift of prophecy, by which they were enabled and excited to foretel something extraordinary concerning thee. With such a token of his special presence did God honour the imposition of the hands of the whole presbytery, who concurred

⁵ In spirit] Some explain this of an industrious improvement of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and have urged it as a proof, that Timothy was possessed of such extraordinary endowments of this kind, as raised him far above the rank of an ordinary minister. That he had miraculous gifts is certain, compare ver. 14; but the proof of it from these words, which admit

another sense so naturally and fairly, must be very precarious.

⁶ Gift — by the imposition of the hands of the presbytery.] The presbyters seemed to have laid on their hands with Paul, when Timothy was solemnly set apart to the ministerial work; and, as the Spirit was often given by the imposition of the apostles’ hands alone, (compare 2 Tim. i. 6:

an to ta e heed to himself and his doctrine.

with me in recommending thee to his blessing by that solemn rite. *Meditate therefore on these things, which I have now been writing thee by way of direction and charge; be always employed in attending to these things, that thy improvement in all that can conduce to the honourable and faithful discharge of thine office, may be made manifest to all around thee. In a word, remember that thou art surrounded with numberless temptations, and that the trust committed to thee is a matter of infinite importance. Take heed therefore to thyself, to thine own temper and conduct; and take heed to [thy] doctrine, both with respect to the matter and manner of thy teaching, and continue in them, making this the whole of thy business and care. The fatigue indeed may be great, and many of the restraints to which thou mayest be subjected for the present, disagreeable, but the happy consequence will counterbalance all; for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself and thy hearers.*¹ It will be the means, not only of delivering thine own soul in the great day of account, but of improving thy happiness to unknown degrees; and though it is not in thy power to command success, yet thou hast great encouragement to hope, that God will so bless thy labours, as to make thee instrumental in delivering many souls from death, and raising them to complete and everlasting felicity.

Acts viii. 17, 18,) we cannot suppose those of Paul would be less efficacious in this circumstance. See Misc. Sacr. Vol. II. Ess. ii. p. 70. It is strange, that a man of Mr. Slater’s good sense should have thought of interpreting presbytery here of the whole college of the apostles. There is no reason at all to believe that they were now together, or that any of them was with Paul, at Timothy’s ordination; for here is no hint of its being performed at Jerusalem, where a few, though but a few, of them might perhaps reside at this time. See Orig. Draught, p. 184. As this text strongly implies, that Timothy was adorned with some supernatural gifts, so it also proves, that the degree in which such favours were continued, did very much depend on the diligence and fidelity with which they were cultivated by the person who had received them.

¹ Save thyself and thy hearers.] I cannot forbear observing here, though it be not a critical remark, that the salvation of others may accidentally have some influence upon a man’s own salvation; as the better those about him are, the more advantage he has for religious improvement, the fewer hindrances from duty, and temptations to sin. And the argument for imitation is much strengthened, when it comes from a person placed in an inferior station, from whom therefore less might be expected in that view than from ourselves. But certainly the thought chiefly referred to here, is the necessity of acting faithfully in the ministry, in order to being entitled to the Divine promise of salvation, in which persons who betray so important a trust, can have no part.

Reflections on the duties and pleasures of the ministry.

IMPROVEMENT.

SECY. vi. verse 6 It is doubtless a very great advantage to Christians, and especially to the ministers of Christ, to have been nourished and educated in the words of faith and of good doctrine; and they who are honoured with the great trust of training them up, should be particularly careful on this head, remembering that no other branches of learning are of comparable importance to any Christian, and much less to those whose business it must be to maintain the faith of Christ in the world, and to instruct others in his doctrine, both publicly and privately.

But to do this with success, and to command that reverence, which it is desirable for the public good they should command, whether they be younger or elder, it is necessary that they endeavour to be examples to other believers in their whole conversation and deportment, in word and in spirit, patterns of charity, faith, and purity. To qualify them more abundantly for such a work, whatever their gifts may be, whether of nature or of grace, it will be necessary to stir them up by frequent exercise, and to cultivate them by reading and meditation, as well as prayer; that their stock may be increasing, that their profiting may appear unto all, and that they may lose no advantage they can secure, of rendering their exhortations and instructions worthy the regard of the wisest and best, as well as the least and weakest of those committed to their care.

But surely, whatever difficulties may lie in their way, and whatever fatigues, or censures, or sufferings, they may encounter, while thus employed, the prospect of success may sweeten all. If they may save themselves and those that hear them, if they may give up an account with joy, if they may see souls recovered from the tyranny of sin and the kingdom of Satan now, and at length, after having anticipated the pleasures of heaven upon earth, raised to the full enjoyment of those pleasures above, they will bless the remembrance of their labours. Yea, the very consciousness of spending life in such pursuits must, to a generous and pious mind, afford unspeakably more delight, than the acquisition and enjoyment of any thing which the children of this world pursue, and perhaps some of them with equal fatigue.

Let Christians in other stations also be quickened to exert themselves in the same blessed cause, remembering, that while other things, for which men labour as in the fire, can profit but little, godliness is profitable to all. It hath so far the promise of this life, that the godly man shall not want any thing that his Father and his God knows to be truly good for him, and he will probably be abundantly happier in this world, amidst all the calamities to which he may be exposed, than in like circumstances

Paul directs Timothy how to manage reproof;

he could possibly have been, without such a principle of piety in his heart : and it has absolutely the promise of the life which is to come, and that such a life, so glorious and so lasting, that the very mention of it may well swallow up the thoughts of this life and its interests, any farther than as they are connected with that. Let us then receive the word with all readiness, and pursue these glorious objects, trusting in the living God, who, while he scatters the bounties of his common Providence on all, is, in a peculiar and most important sense, the Saviour, the Guardian, the Father of those who believe.