The Remains of John Corbet, Section 9
§ 9. Teſtimonies concerning the Epiſcopacy of Timothy and Titus.
1. TImothy was not a fixed biſhop. His travels we find upon ſacred Record. When Paul went from Beraea to Athens, he left Silas and Timothy behind him, Acts 17.14. Afterwards they coming to Paul at Athens, Paul ſent Timothy thence to Theſſalonica, to confirm the Chriſtians there, 1 Theſ. 3.6. An. C. 47. Thence he returned to Athens again, and Paul ſent him and Silas thence into Macedonia, Acts 18.5. and thence they returned to Paul at Corinth, An. 48. Afterwards they travel to Epheſus, whence Paul ſent Timothy and Eraſtus into Macedonia, Acts 19.22 whither Paul went after them, An. 51. from Macedonia they with divers brethren journied into Aſia, Acts 20.4. and come to Miletum, where Paul ſent to Epheſus to call the elders of the Church, An. 53. Then Paul did not leave Timothy as Biſhop of Epheſus, but took him with him in his journey to Jeruſalem, and ſo to Rome: for thoſe Epiſtles which Paul wrote while he was priſoner at Rome, bear either in their inſcription, or ſome other paſſage, the name of Timothy, as Pauls companion, viz. the Epiſtles to the Epheſians, to the Philippians, to the Coloſſians, to the Hebrews and to Philemon. Pauls beſeeching of Timothy, to abide ſtill at Epheſus, when he went into Macedonia, 2 Tim. 1.3. had been needleſs, if he were then a ſetled biſhop there. Beſides, it is granted, that Timothy was not biſhop of Epheſus, when he was with Paul at Miletum; yet that Church had then elders, which the Holy Ghoſt had made Biſhops. Therefore it cannot be, that Timothy was the firſt Biſhop that ever Epheſus had, which nevertheleſs is affirmed in the Poſtſcript of the ſecond epiſtle to Timothy. Spalatenſis, lib. 2 c. 3. n. 60. ſaith, That without doubt Timothy was a General biſhop, that is, an Apoſtle tyed to no ſeat.
2. Titus was no fixed Biſhop. His travels we likewiſe find upon ſacred record. Paul made him his companion in his journey to Jeruſalem, Gal. 2.1. An. 43, 45. Paul returning to Antioch, paſſed through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the Churches, Acts 15.41. from Cilicia he paſſed to Creet, where having preached the Goſpel, and planted a Church, he left Titus for a while to ſet in order the things that were left undone, Tit. 1.5. An. 46. Paul injoins Titus to come to him to Nicopolis, where he intended to Winter, Tit. 3.12. an. 51. but changing his purpoſe, he ſent for him to Epheſus, where his Winter-ſtation was, 2 Cor. 1.8. thence he ſent him to Corinth, to enquire of the ſtate of that Church. His return from thence, Paul expected at Troas; and becauſe there he ſound not his expectation anſwered, he was grieved in ſpirit, 2 Cor. 2.12. Thence Paul paſſed into Macedonia, where Titus met him, and brought him the glad tidings of the gracions effect which his firſt Epiſtle had wrought among the Corinthians, 2 Cor. 7.5, &c. an. 52. Paul having collected the liberality of the Saints, ſends Titus, an. 53. again to the Corinthians, to prepare them for that contribution, 2 Cor. 8.6. And we do not find, that after his firſt removal from Creet, he did ever return thither. After this we read, that Titus was with Paul at Rome, and went thence not to Creet, but to Dalmatia, 2 Tim. 4.10. It is to be noted, that after the time of Titus his being in Creet, was the greateſt part of his travels. And if Titus did abide ſome years in Creet, that doth not declare him to be a fixed biſhop there; for unfixed Miniſters were not ſo obliged to perpetual motion, but that they reſided long in one place, according to the work to be done there, as Paul abode three years at Epheſus.
3. Of Timothy and Titus jointly, theſe following things may be obſerved: In the New Teſtament there is no inſtance of a ſetled Overſeer or Paſtor, whoſe motion was ſo planetary as theirs; and there is no evidence that afterwards they return'd to reſide at Epheſus or Creet: it is granted by the aſſertors of their ſuppoſed Epiſcopacy, that they were not biſhops till after Pauls firſt being at Rome. Now the firſt Epiſtle to Timothy, and the Epiſtle to Titus, were written by Paul before his firſt going to Rome; and his ſecond Epiſtle to Timothy was written at his firſt being at Rome, Vid. Ludov. Capellus Hiſtor. Eccleſ. p. 66, 74. All that aver Timothy and Titus to be biſhops, borrow their teſtimony from Euſebius; and all that he ſaith, is only that it is ſo written; and he had this ſtory from the fabulous Clemont, and from Egeſippus, who is not extant. It is obſerved that Euſ…bius, Irenaeus, and others, delivered what they received, too ſecurely.
4. Touching the Poſtſcripts of the Epiſtles, in which they are ſtiled biſhops, whether they be canonical or authentick proof, let it be conſidered. It cannot be imagined that Paul or his Pen-man would underwrite theſe wards, viz. The firſt Epiſtle to Timothy was written, &c. and the ſecond Epiſtle to Timotheus, ordained the firſt biſhop, &c. Did he know or mind that there would be a ſecond epiſtle, or biſhop? Or did he then intend that the firſt ſhould be diſtinguiſhed from the ſecond, by theſe words of diſtinction? The firſt Epiſtle to Timothy, Beza proves was not written from Laodicea, but from Macedonia; to which opinion Baronius and Serrarius ſubſcribe. And the name of Phrygia Pacatilana was not in uſe in Paul's time, nor till the more declining time of the Roman Empire. In the poſtſcript of the ſecond Epiſtle to Timothy, theſe words, ordained firſt biſhop, &c. is not in many ancient Copies, ſaith Beza, nor in the Vulgar edition, nor in the Syriack Interpreter. The Epiſtle to Titus was not written from Nicopolis, as the poſtſcript ſaith; for had Paul been there, he would have ſaid, I have determined here, not there to winter. And whereas it faith the firſt biſhop, did Paul or his Penman mind the notifying of a ſucceeding biſhop, and the diſtinguiſhing of Titus from him in this Epiſtle? Moreover biſhop of the Church of the Cretians, is not the ſtile of a biſhop of a Dioceſs, who hath ſome City, and not a whole Region for his Sea. Creet is ſaid to have had a hundred Cities in it, and Titus was directed by Paul to ordain elders or biſhops in all thoſe Cities that had Chriſtians. And the Scripture way of expreſſion would be, not the Church, but the Churches of the cretians; (Church) being uſed of a City with its adjacent Villages; and (Churches) of a Region or Countrey of ſuch a circuit as Creet was. Thus there is good ground to think, that the poſtſcripts are of much later date than the Epiſtles themſelves.
5. The precepts given by Paul to Timothy and Titus, are either ſuch as concern all presbyters, or ſuch as are above the biſhop of a particular church. 1. Some precepts given them, concern all presbyters. To be inſtant in ſeaſon and out of ſeaſon, belongs to all preachers of the Goſpel. As a biſhop muſt be able to convince gainſayers, ſo ought all presbyters. The ſtopping of the mouths of ſubverters, is by conviction, and extends as well to doctrine, as to definitive ſentencing, Mat. 22.34. and even definitive ſilencing was anciently by presbyters, either alone, or in conjunction with their biſhops. The authority given to Timothy, That thoſe who ſin, be rebuked before all, belongs to presbyters, and it is that which may be done by equals. To lay hands ſuddenly on no man, concerns presbyters, to whom belongs the power of laying on of hands. Nor doth this precept infer, That a biſhop hath power to ordain alone; and it is granted that one biſhop alone may not ordain a biſhop. Presbyters as well as biſhops were concern'd in that precept, of not receiving an accuſation ſuddenly againſt any. And in ancient times, if a biſhop or preſbyter were accuſed, the matter was referred to a Synod conſiſting of biſhops and presbyters. Other precepts given them, were above the proper work of a biſhop of a particular Church. To erect and govern Churches in a hundred Cities, and to govern ſuch presbyters, who, according to Dr. Hammond, were biſhops, belonged not to an ordinary biſhop of a particular Church. Wherefore this latter ſort of duties belonged to Timothy and Titus as Evangeliſts, or General Miniſters, who had a kind of Vice-Apoſtolick office; of which ſort were Barnabas, Silas, Apollos, Titus, Timothy, and Epaphroditus, and others.
Ambroſe on Eph. 4. ſaith, they are ſtiled Evangeliſts who did Evangelizare ſine Cathedra.
It often happened, that thoſe unfixed Officers reſided for a longer time in ſome places, and then they managed the affairs of thoſe Churches in chief, during the time of their reſidence.