Page:An Exposition of the Old and New Testament (1828) vol 6.djvu/676

670 iind a Shield, the Lord -cvill g-ive grace and glory, atid 710 good thing rjill he ivithhold from them that •walk ufirightly. O Lord of Hosts, blessed is the man that iriisteth in thee, Ps. 84. 11, 12. A^'otu unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God our Saviour, be honour and giory for ever and ever. Amen.

THIS Epistle of Paul to Titus is much of the same nature with those to Timothy ; both were converts ot Paul, and his companions in labours and sufferings ; Ijoth were in the office of evangelists, whose work was to water the churches planted by the apostles, and to set in order the things that were wanting in them : they were vice-apostles, as it were, vjorking the work of the Lord, as they did, and mostly under their direction, though not despotic and arbitrary, but with the concurring exercise of their own pru- dence and judgment, 1 Cor. 16. 10, 12. We read much of this Titus, his titles, character, and active usefulness, in manv places: he was a Greek, Gal. 2. 3. St. Paul called him his son, (Tit. 1. 4.) his brother, (2 Cor. 2. 13.) hisfiartnerandfellow-helfur, (2 Cor. 8. 23.) one that walked in the same Spirit, and in the same ste/is with himself. He went up with the apostles to the church at Jerusalem, (Gal. 2. 1. ) was much conversant at Corinth, for which church he had an earnest care, 2 Cor. 8. 16. Paul's second epistle to them, and probably his first also, was sent by his hand, 2 Cor. 8. 16 — 18, 23. — 9. 2—4. — 12. 18. He was with the apostle at Rome, and thence went into Dalmatia, (2 Tim. 4. 10.) after which no more nccurs of him in the scriptures. So that by them he appears not to have been a fixed bishop; if such he were, and in those times, the church of Corinth, where he most attended, had the best title to him. In Crete (now called Candia, formerly Hecatom/iolis, from the luuidred cities that were in it) a lai-ge island at the mouth of the ^Egean Sea, the gospel had got some footing; and here were Paul and Titus in one of their travels, cultivating this ])lantation ; but the a/iostle of the Gentiles, having on him the care of all the churches, could not himself tarry long at this place ; he therefore left Titus some time there, to carry on the work which had been begiui ; wherein, probably meeting with more difficulty than ordinary, Paul wrote this epistle to him ; and yet perhaps not so much for his own sake, as for the peo- ple's, that the endeavours of Titus, strengthened with apostolic advice and authority, might be more significant and effectual among them. He was to see all the cities furnished with good pastors ; to reject and keep out the unmeet and unworthy ; to teach sound doctrine, and instruct all sorts in their duties ; to set foi-th the free grace of God in man's salvation by Christ ; and withal to shew the necessity of maintaining good works by those who have believed in God, and hojic for eternal life from him.

In this chapter, we have, I. The piefacc or introduction to the epistle, shewinjr from and to whom it was written, with ihe apostle's salutation and prayer for Titus, wishing all hlessinjs to liim, v. 1. . 4. II. F.ntrance into the matter, hv si2;iiifyin(r the end of Titus's hcintr U-fi at Crete, v. 5. ni. And liow the same should he pursued in reference both If. <_'«>od :ind bad ministers, from v. 6, tn the end.

AUL, a servant of God, and an apos- Jr tic of Jesus Christ, according to the , faith of God's elect, and the acknowledg- ing: of the truth which is after godliness ; 2. In hope of eternal life, which God. who cannot lie, promised hefore the world be- gan; 3. But lialh in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is com- municated unto me accorchng to the com- mandment of God our Saviour; 4. To Ti-