8

A General Introduction, &c.

that betrays a secret consciousness of guilt, or even a suspicion of the weakness of his cause? Nav, does he drop a single expression that can be interpreted as a mark of fear, or discomposure of mind, in the apprehension of those gloomy scenes that lay before him?— Surely if he had been an impostor, or had entertained the least doubt of the doctrines he taught, something of this kind must have escaped him when writing to so intimate a friend, with whom he could intrust all the secrets of his breast.-On the contrary, upon the most calm and deliberate survey, he expresses an entire satisfaction in reflecting on the part he had acted; and earnestly recommends it to his beloved pupil to follow his example in maintaining the glorious cause, even at the hazard of his life. He appears throughout his epistle to have felt a strong inward conviction of the truth of those principles he had embraced, and glories in the sufferings he endured in support of them; triumphing in the full assurance of being approved by his great Master, and of receiving at his hands a crown of distinguished lustre. A behaviour like this, in one who had so considerable a share in establishing the Christian religion, and expected in a short time to seal his testimony to it with his blood, must be allowed a strong confirmation of the truth of those facts on which our faith depends. It is at least a convincing proof that the apostle was himself sincere in what he professed to believe: and when the several circumstances of his history are considered and impartially weighed, it will appear as evident that he could not possibly be deceived, and consequently that his testimony is to be admitted in its full force.

A PARA

THE

FAMILY EXPOSITOR.

A

PARAPHRASE AND NOTES

ON

THE SECOND EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE

ΤΟ

TIMOTHY.

SECT. I.

The Apostle begins his epistle, after proper salutations, with expressions of his affection to Timothy, and general acknowledgments of his joy in, and dependence upon, the grace of that gospel which he was employed to preach. 2 Tim. I. 1—12.

2 TIM. I. 1.

PAUL an apostle of

Jesus Christ by the

will of God, according to the promise of life, which is in Christ Je

2 TIMOTHY I. 1.

SECT.

i.

PAUL, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God (whose eternal counsels, with refer- 2 Tim. ence to me, were manifested in that wonderful 1. 1. manner in which I was set apart for the service of the gospel, agreeably to the promise of eternal life, which is given us in Christ Jesus, and by which I am animated in all my labours and suf2 To Timothy my ferings), Send this second epistle to Timothy, 2 dearly beloved son: my beloved son; whose humble and faithful sermercy, and peace vices in the gospel I have so long proved, and

grace,

whom I love with the affection of a father. Nor
can I express this affection better than by wish-

ing,

10 Paul thanks God for the faith of Timothy and his ancestors,

i.

SECT. ing, as I most sincerely do, that grace, mercy, peace from God the Father, and Christ Jeand peace, may attend thee, from God, the gra- sus our Lord. cious and merciful Father of all true believers, 1.2. and from Christ Jesus, his Son and our Lord,

2 Tim.

who is also our Peace.

I serve from my forefa

prayers night and day;

3 I give thanks unto this blessed God, whom I 3 I thank God whom
serve, after the example of [my] pious progeni- thers with pure con-
tors, with a pure conscience, that through his science, that without
goodness, laying the case upon my heart, I am ceasing I have remem
incessantly mindful of thee in my prayers night bance of thee in my
and day, so that I scarce ever rise up in the morn-
ing, or lie down in the evening, without allow-
ing thee a share in my devout remembrance;
4 Desiring earnestly to see thee, as I am mindful of
thy tears, which flowed so plentifully at our last
separation, that I might be filled with joy, in an

4 Greatly desiring to

see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I

may be filled with joy :

Eunice; and I am per

interview with so dear and amiable a friend. 5 And indeed thou hast, as it were, an heredi- 5 When I call to remembrance the untary title to my regard, as I also keep in remembrance the undissembled faith which is in thee, thee, which dwelt first feigned faith that is in and which first dwelt in thy grandmother Lois, in thy grandmother and thy mother Eunice, who believed in Christ Lois, and thy mother before thee, and have been happily instrumental suaded that in thee also. in communicating to thy heart those good impressions which they felt on their own; and I am persuaded that [it is] in thee too, and that thou still retainest it in the midst of all opposi6 tion: For which cause I am the more encou

6 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance,

raged to remind thee of stirring up the gift of that thou stir up the God, which is in thee by the imposition of my gift of God, which is hands; whereby those miraculous communica- in thee, by the putting tions of the Spirit were imparted to thee, which on of my hands. it will be thy duty to cherish, by frequently engaging in those devotional exercises and active services for which they are intended to qualify 7 thee. Exert thyself therefore with cheerfulness and boldness, without dreading any opposition that may arise; for God hath not given us the spirit of cowardice and fear, but of courage, and of love, and of wisdom; and if we conduct our

a Stirring up the gift.] Ava?waugav. The metaphor is plainly borrowed from stirring up fire when it is almost extinct; and some have imagined it might refer to that part of the priest's office which con. sisted in trimming the lamps in the temple, and supplying them with oil in order to keep them continually burning (see Raphel Polyb. in loc); while others have thought it alludes to the form of flames

selves

7 For God hath not

given us the spirit of
fear;
but of power, and
of love, and of a sound

mind.

4

And recommends to him courage in defence of the gospel.

8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: bnt be thou partaker of

the afflictions of the gospel, according to he power of God;

9 Who hath saved

us and called us with an holy calling, not ac

cording to our works,

which was given us in

world began,

i.

2 Tim.

selves prudently, under the influences of a spi- SECT.
rit of universal love, we may hope that his Spi-
rit will work mightily in us, to fit us for those
services which his Providence may point out. I. 7.
Be not therefore ashamed of that sacred truth, 8
which is the testimony of our Lord, taught by his
mouth, confirmed by his death and resurrection,
and the descent of his Spirit; nor of me, who am
now his prisoner; but resolutely own thy re-
gard to me, and take thy share in the afflictions
which may lie in thy way, while bearing a cou-
rageous testimony to the truth of the gospel, ac-
cording to the evidence derived to it from the
miraculous power of God; Who hath saved 9
us from that ruin into which the world hath

fallen by its fatal apostacy, and hath called [us]
but according to his out from the rest of mankind by an holy calling,
own purpose and grace not according to any distinguished merit of our
Christ Jesus before the own works, but according to his own purpose,
and those rich overflowings of grace given to us
in Christ Jesus from eternal ages, as he was
appointed, in the everlasting and immutable
counsels of God, to be a Redeemer and a Savi-
our unto us. But this long concealed grace 10
pearing of our Saviour is now made manifest by the illustrious
appear-
Jesus Christ, who hath ance of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who by what
abolished death, and he has done and suffered in human flesh for the
hath brought life and
immortality to light, salvation of his faithful servants, hath in effect
through the gospel: abolished death, has deposed it from its tyranni-
cal empire, and thrown a light on the important
doctrine of life and immortality by the gospel;

10 But is now made manifest by the ap

d Given to us in Christ Jesus from eternal ages.] I see no reason for rendering it, as Dr. Whitby would do, according to his purpose before all ages, and the grace given us in Christ Jesus. The grace might be said to be given us in Christ, as the Father stipulated with him, through his hand, as well as for his sake, to give us that grace which we do actually receive.

e Thrown a light upon life and immortality.] Life and immortality is put by a usual Hebraism for immortal life, as Archbishop Tillotson well observes, Vol. III. p. 112.) in his discourse on these words; in which he has shewn, how uncertain the heathens were as to the doctrines of a future state of retribution, and the comparative obscurity of that light in which it was placed under the Old Testament. The former article is much illustrated by Dr. Whitby's learned and excellent note. But what Mr. Warburton has written up

which

on this subject, in his Divine Legation,
Vol. I. and what is said upon it, in the last
edition of the critical enquiry into the opi-
nions of the ancient philosophers, has done
abundantly more than any thing else to
vindicate the propriety of this expression;
and I must refer to these learned and in-
genious writers for the most satisfactory
commentary on these words of the apos-
tle.-But the learned and pious Dr. Hodges
(who, so far as I can judge, has given us
a greater variety of new and plausible in-
terpretations of scripture than any other
divine in the Hutchinsonian scheme) con-
tends, that the word appagosav ought to be
rendered incorruption, and that Christ him-
self is to be understood both by life and incor-
ruption; so that the text must refer to his
throwing light on Psal. xvi. 10, 11, and
on other scriptures, where it was foretold
that the Messiah should be the light of the
world, and bestow incorruptible life upon

others

12

i.

2 Tim.

Reflections on the discovery

11 Whereunto I am

appointed a preacher, teacher of the Genand an apostle, and a

SECT. which gives us a more express assurance and more lively view of it than any former dispensation had ever done, or could possibly do. 1. 11. This is that important message of God to men, for the proclamation and confirmation of which I was appointed an herald and apostle, and par ticularly had it in my charge, while others were tiles. more immediately sent to the circumcision, to 12 be myself a teacher of the Gentiles: For 12 For the which which cause I also suffer these hard things, which cause I also suffer these things; nevertheless press me in this state of confinement; but, I am not ashamed; for though my condition may seem infamous, I am I know whom I have not ashamed of these bonds, or any of the re- believed, and am perproaches and insults with which they are at- to keep that which I tended: for I know to whom I have trusted all have committed unto my most important concerns, and am fully perhim against that day. suaded that he is well able to keep that precious immortal soul which I have deposited with him, even unto that great and important day when the promised salvation shall be completed.

suaded that he is able

IMPROVEMENT.

Ver. WHO, that attentively considers the holy calling with which 8,9 we are called, according to the grace given us in Christ Jesus, can endure the thought of being ashamed of Christ's gospel, or any of his servants, to whatever difficulties they may be exposed, with whatever infamy they may be loaded? For ever adored be 10 that Prince of life, who hath deposed death, from his throne; who hath enlightened, by rays reflected from his own beautiful and resplendent countenance, the regions of the invisible world, over 12 which so dark a veil had before been spread? Let our eyes be fixed more and more on this illustrious Object, and confiding in

others, by raising himself from the grave
before he was corrupted there. But if any
should still think this expression refers to
the future state, to which Dr. Hodges ap-
prehends it has no regard, he would have
him consider it as applicable to the Gen-
tiles only; on which account he supposes
the apostle presently after speaks of his be-
ing appointed as their teacher, ver. 11. This
violent interpretation (for such on the
whole it appears to me,) is intended to
obviate the objection which arises from
this text, against several new criticisms,
by which this ingenious writer would find
references to a future state and the resur-
rection, in passages of the Old Testament,
in which they were never before thought
of. See Dr. Hodges's Elihu, p. 251, 252.

the

f That which I have deposited with him.] Philo and Josephus have many passages (several of them collected by Dr. Whitby in his note on this text,) in which both the soul and the law are in different views called nagagnan, the depositum of God. The soul, as it is said, is to be returned into the hands of God, and committed to his care at death, and this they tell us, may be done more cheerfully, in proportion to the degree in which care has been taken to maintain the honour of his law with due fidelity. There is to be sure a similarity of sentiment with regard to the gospel, but Paul might have used this expresson, without borrowing the hint from any Jewish writer whatever.