Review of the Paraphrase of the New Testament, 1 Timothy
On the firſt EPISTLE to TIMOTHY.
Chap. I. ver. 19.
[Concerning faith have made ſhipwrack.]
Have afterwards fallen into foul errors in point of faith.
Verſ. 20.
[That they may learn not to blaſpheme.]
That they may reforme, and recover from that very evil courſe, in which they are both for faith and manners.
CHap. II. Note b.foreign. Of the Jewes waſhing conſtantly before prayers, Adde,*Hiſt. 70. interpret, p 890 D. So Ariſteas, foreign (I ſuppoſe it ſhould be foreign, It is the cuſtome for all the Jewes to waſh their hands whenſoever they pray to God.
Chap. III. Note b.foreign. Of foreign that it ſignifies him that marries after divorce, to Athenagoras, Adde, This ſeems to be Theophylacts underſtanding of it, for as on this place he ſaith it was oppoſed to the practice of the Jewes among whom, ſaith he, foreign, polygamie was permitted, or as other Copyes read foreign, multitude of children was deſired, in which reſpect their divorces were permitted, ſo on Tit. 1.6. he applyes it to him, who hath ſo little kindneſs foreign, that he marries another, and after expreſſely to the foreign, who, ſaith he, doth that which is not foreign unblameable, foreign, though it be approved by the Lawes of them which are not Chriſtians, where if foreign be thought to ſignifie the dead wife, then it will be unappliable to the practice of the Jewes, for all others, as well as they, married ſecond wives after the death of the former, and therefore it muſt probably ſignifie her that is departed by divorce, and then that which followeth of the digamiſt will alſo concurre with it, to interpret his ſenſe to this purpoſe; For of ſuch marriages after divorces we know the practice and allowance of the Graecians and Romans, as well as Jewes, and of the Imperiall Lawes. And ſo before him Theodoret; If any man having put away his former wife ſhall marry another, he were worthy of reprehenſion, and therefore a Biſhop, that muſt be foreign, muſt not be ſuch an one. So Chryſoſtome alſo, from whom Theophylact had his ſenſe and words. *l. 1 adv Jovin. c. 29.Of the practice of divorcing and marrying after it, Adde, S. Hierome mentions ſome that being divorced this day, married the next, and addes, Ʋterque reprehendendus maritus, & cui tam citò diſplicuit, & cui tam citò placuit, both husbands were to be blamed, he that was ſo ſoon diſpleaſed with his wife, and he that ſo ſoon liked and married her. And ſo *Ep. 3 c. 6.Innocentius of thoſe who after a divorce marry anew, in utraque parte adulteros eſſe, they are on both ſides adulterers, and to be excommunicate. To this belongs that of *A… 2. p…ſt m…t.Juſtin Martyr, foreign, they that by mans Law make ſecond marriages, are ſinners in the account of Chriſt our maſter.
Ibid. Note e. Of the title of the Church, foreign.the pillar and ground of truth, i. e. a pillar ſtanding ſteady on its baſis. Adde, A like expreſſion we find in the Jewiſh writers, from whence it ſeems to be imitated; as when Maimonides in his firſt volume li. foreign begins his firſt Hilchot, called foreign thus, foreign, the foundation of foundations and the pillar of wiſdome, is to know there is a firſt being, &c. which phraſe, though it differ from this, in ſpeaking of a firſt, abſolutely firſt foundation, whereas this ſpeaks indefinitely of a foundation, yet it agrees with it in this, that foundation and pillar are joyned together, to ſignifie not ſeverall, but one and the ſame title.
Chap. IV. ver. 6.
[*Fed or nouriſhed with. Nouriſhed up in the words of faith, and of good doctrine.]
Whoſe duty it is thus to ruminate and chew over and over again, and ſo to feed continually on the doctrines of Chriſt, and by inſtructing others to make returnes for all the good inſtructions, &c.
Chap. V. Note b.foreign. Of the ſonnes duty foreign to provide for the aged parent, Adde, And he that doth it not was infamous among heathens, and accordingly Theophraſtus in his Characters among the vileſt actions, whoring, gaming, ſtealing, &c. placeth foreign neglecting to feed the mother, and elſewhere, next after frequent worſhipping of God, he placeth foreign, duly feeding the aged parents. *Stobae. p. 448.Thus in Hierocles ſpeaking of marriage and children, foreign, ſaith he, we beget helpers and feeders of our age: and … he addes, when the fathers dye, their children muſt in their ſtead performe this office to the Grandfather. So Ariſtoxenus in his Pythagorean ſentences, l. 4. the children muſt think all they have to be their parents, and conſequently muſt provide for them to the utmoſt of their power. See Stobaeus, Ser. 77.
foreign.Ibid. Note d. Of the notion of foreign for maintenance, Adde, So in Nicolaus Damaſcenus of the Thyni, foreign, They honour, i. e. entertain, receive ſtrangers exceedingly. So Act. 28.10. they of the Iſland honoured Paul with many honours, giving him proviſion for his journey.
foreign.Ibid. Note f. Of Impoſition of hands in receiving of penitents, Adde, Concil. Agath. Diſt. 5. c. 63. Poenitentes tempore quo poenitentiam petant, impoſitionem manuum & cilicium ſuper caput, ſicut ubique conſtitutum eſt, conſequantur, Let the penitents receive impoſition of hands, and ſackcloth upon their heads, as it is every where appointed. To the teſtimonies of Cyprian and Pacianus, Adde, And though Theophylact ſeem to underſtand it of Ordination, yet what he addes in explication of the following words [neither partake of other mens ſins] foreign, &c. Thou ſhalt be guilty both of his future ſins and even of his paſt, becauſe thou haſt neglected them, made darkneſs light, and not diſmiſs'd him to the ſtate of mourning and compunction] ſeems to belong to abſolution.
Ibid. Note g.foreign. Of keep thy ſelf pure] and drink a little wine] Read, thus. So that this precept, and the other following of drink a little wine, though they come in here, as in a parentheſis (the 24. and 25. being to be connected in ſenſe to the matter of abſolution and cenſures, ſee Note h.) yet they are added ſeaſonably and pertinently, to the foreign immediately precedent; after this manner, Thou art not to be over-favourable to offenders, to abſolve them too eaſily, or ſpeedily. But above all thou muſt be ſure not to joyne with them in their courſe, and becauſe there be two chief heads of that falſe doctrine which is moſt frequent among you, (the hereſie of the Gnoſticks, from which eſpecially flow the faults to which the cenſures are moſt due) viz. forbidding of marriage (to which is conſequent all impure abominable living) and abſtinences from wine and meats— c. 4.3. I therefore now warn thee concerning theſe two. In the former reſpect, that abſtaining ſpontaneouſly from marriage, not as from a thing unlawfull, but onelyonly denying thy ſelf that liberty which thou maieſt lawfully uſe, thou be ſure to preſerve perfect chaſtity, and not fall into the leaſt degree of Gnoſticiſme, foreign.for that is foreign, to commit thoſe ſins which thou art to cenſure in others. That is the meaning of foreign and foreign, to be guilty thy ſelf, not onelyonly to be blameable for thy indulgence to others, and ſo for their commiſſions. So Eph. 5.11.foreign. foreign have no fellowſhip with the unfruitfull works of darkneſs, i. e. do not permit your ſelves to be drawn into their dark villanous myſteries, to commit thoſe heathen ſins, which there are committed, but rather diſcover them, and bring them to light; And ſo Rev. 18.4. Go out of her my people, that ye may not foreign communicate with, or partake of her ſins, i. e. be corrupted with, and drawn into the like commiſſions. And ſo here, twill be a caution to Timothy againſt the Gnoſtick practices (as elſewhere to avoid youthfull luſts 2 Tim. 2.22.) not to fall into thoſe guilts, which he ought to deteſt and puniſh, but to keep himſelf perfectly pure from their practices. As for the ſecond thing, their abſtinences from meat and wine, this temper is to be obſerved; It is no doubt lawful for thoſe that can do it without any hurt to their bodies, to abſtain from meats, which are moſt pleaſurable, and ſo from wine; and for thee to do thus, as long as thy health well permits, is both lawful and commendable (and the Gnoſtickes hereſie conſiſts in this, that they impoſe ſuch abſtinences on all, as neceſſary, and ſo foreign, not foreign as the Canons Apoſtolical ſtyle it, out of a deteſtation, and an opinion of the unlawfulneſs of meat, not for ſelf denyal or auſterity) but theſe creatures of God being created for the benefit and refreſhment of man, theſe thou mayeſt very ſafely make uſe of, and thy health of body being infirme, and ſubject to frequent diſeaſes, there is no reaſon thou ſhouldeſt never drink any wine, the continual uſe of water may be hurtfull to ſuch an habit of body, as thine, and moderate taking of wine may be more proper, and then it is beſt to remit of that auſterity, which might otherwiſe be laudably continued, and tend to the preſerving of virginal chaſtity, but is not to be impoſed on thoſe, whoſe health will not beare it. To this interpretation of the words, agrees the diſcourſe of Cyrill of Jeruſalem, foreign. p. 93.Catech. 4. foreign (ſo the Barocian MS. reads inſtead of foreign — foreign (ſo the Barocian, not foreign) foreign, (the Barocian addes foreign) foreign, &c. When we faſt, we abſtain from wine, and fleſh, not hating them as unlawfull, but expecting a reward: deſpiſe not therefore thoſe that eate in reſpect of the weakneſſe of their body, nor find fault with thoſe that uſe a little wine for their ſtomach, and frequent infirmities, nor condemne them as ſinners, neither hate fleſh, as unlawfull; for the Apoſtle knew ſome ſuch when he ſpeaks of forbidding to marry, and abſtaining from meats.
Chap. VI. ver. 20.
[Oppoſitions of ſcience.]
Diſcourſes of the Gnoſtickes &c. who have forſaken the faith, and diſſeminated diſcourſes by way of oppoſition and contradiction to the Chriſtian doctrine.
Note i.foreign. That the foreign ſcience falſely ſo called, is ſet down to denote the heretical crue of the Gnoſtikes, there can be no queſtion, and is elſewhere largely ſhewed, Note on 2 Pet. 1. c. That the firſt author of theſe was Simon Magus, is alſo evident in Irenaeus and others of the antients. Now it ſeems there were thus early diſcourſes written by him or ſome of his, for the oppoſing the true Chriſtian doctrine, and theſe are here called foreign oppoſitions or contradictions, to which agrees that of Dionyſius Areopagita foreign. c. 6. where mentioning them, he ſtyles them foreign, the contradictory diſcourſes of the dotage of Simon, by the foreign, or dotage of Simon meaning the ſame that is here expreſs'd by the foreign, i. e. thoſe heretical proud but ſottiſh followers of Simon.