ruly.

A bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God, &c.

i.

49

accused of riot, or un- with it; and if any one is thought of in that SECT. view, let it be one who is known to be blameless in his conduct, the husband of only one wife, Titus to whom he entirely confines himself, neither 1. 6. allowing of polygamy, or divorce, or an irregular commerce with any other women; and let him be one who hath believing childrend, if he have any that are grown up, not accused of any kind of debauchery, or ungovernable in their temper and disposition, which would render them a reproach rather than an honour to the Christian name. I must insist on a care in 7

7 For a bishop must

be blameless, as the

steward of God; not self-willed, not soon

angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;

$ But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate;

He

this respect, for it is evident, that the disorders
of children often reflect a dishonour on their
parents, and indeed arise from something amiss
in them: but a bishop, or overseer of a Christian
congregation, which the elder we speak of, by
virtue of his office, is, must necessarily be blame-
less, as he is, in that society over which he
presides, the steward of God, who is appointed
in his name, to take care of his family.
must not therefore be fierce and self-willed, ob-
stinate, morose, and arrogant, not soon pro.
voked to be angry, not one who sits long over his
cups, and loves to drink large quantities of
wine, not a striker of others, by which, what-
soever, his provocation may be, he always de-
grades himself in the eyes of those that are wit-
nesses of the quarrel, nor greedy of sordid and
infamous gain : But he ought to maintain s
a character directly the opposite of all these,
and to be hospitable, benign, sober, and grave in
his

d Believing children.] This is mentioned with great propriety; for, if a man were not careful to instruct his children in the principles of Christianity, there would be great reason to doubt, whether he were hearty in the belief of it himself, and under a governing sense of its truth and importance; aud, if a man had only unbelieving children in his house, that is, such as were so obstinate that they could not be brought to embrace Christianity, by any of the arguments which could be laid be fore them in that age of miracles, it would be a great discouragement, and in some circumstances, a great hindrance to him, from pursuing the duties of a Christian elder, or bishop. And those cvils, into which such obstinate infidel children might fall, would very probably, bring a reproach upon the family, which might, in

a degree, hurt the character of him who
presided in it.

It

e For a bishop must be blameless.]
has been often observed, that, if the bi-
shop, of whom Paul speaks, had been in-
vested with an office distinct from, and su-
perior to the elder mentioned above, there
could have been no room to conclude,
that an elder must be blameless, because a
bishop must be so, though the argument
would have held strongly in an inverted
order. By what degrees, and on what
reasons, the distinction was afterwards in-
troduced (as a distinction to be sure there
early was) it is not my business here
to inquire.

50

Reflections on the character of a Christian bishop.

SECT. his deportment, righteous, holy, devout, and

i.

temperate in all things: Holding fast, in the 9 Holding fast the

he

hath been taught, that

Titus most resolute manner, the faithful word which faithful word, as 1.9. he hath been taught by those who were commis- he may be able by sioned to publish it to the world, that so he may sound doctrine both be able both to instruct others in sound doctrine, vince the gain-sayers.

Ver.

and to convince and silence those that contradict
il.

IMPROVEMENT.

to exhort and to con

NEVER let it be forgotten by any that call themselves Chris1 tians, that the faith of God's elect is the acknowledgment of the truth which is according to godliness. Never let the great design of Christianity be lost in an eager contention for any of its appendages, or any of its parts. Yet alas, how often has it, in particular instances, been wounded almost to death, in a furious attempt to rescue it, and that sometimes perhaps, from only an imaginary danger.

2 That we may be more sensible of its vital influence, let us ever retain the hope of that eternal life which it proposes, as the great end of all our pursuits; even of that life which God that cannot lie hath promised. Let us rejoice to think that so immense a superstructure has so firm, so divine a foundation; and let us never give it up for any thing that a flattering world, always ready to engage, and slow to perform, can promise.

Let us ever be very thankful for the provision God hath made 3 for the manifestation of his word, through preaching, and for his goodness in raising up faithful pastors to his church, overseers in

7, 8 every age, who have been blameless, sober, just, holy, and temperate. Such may all be that appear under that sacred character; able, by their doctrine to instruct, by their reasoning to convince, by their practice to edify; ever solicitous, that they may not neg9lect their pastoral services, that they may not lord it proudly over their brethren, that they may not be transported by furious passions, or misguided by rash conclusions, or perverted by low I interests, and the greediness of filthy lucre; but that they may approve themselves the faithful stewards of God, and promote the good order of his house; and so far as their influence can reach, the happiness of every member of his family.

6

In order to this, let them look well to their own houses, that nothing may be wanting on their part to make their children tractable, faithful and sober. And let the children of ministers consider the obligations they are under to cultivate a teachable spirit, and to maintain the strictest decency in their whole deportment, as remembering the superior advantages they may be supposed to enjoy for religious improvement, and how much a minister's reputation and usefulness depend upon the regularity of his family.

SECT.

Paul cautions Titus against Judaizing teachers;

51

SECT. II.

Paul cautions Titus against seducing teachers, and the native vices of the Cretans; and advises him to accommodate his exhortations to the different sorts of persons with whom he conversed, according to their respective sexes, ages, and circumstances. Titus I. 10, to the end. Chap. II. 1-8.

Traus 1. 10.

FOR there are many

TITUS I. 10.

unruly and vain I HAVE particularly insisted upon it, that a

talkers and deceivers, especially they of the circumcision;

ers.

bishop should be able to convince gainsayers, as well as to instruct candid and obedient hearAnd indeed the precaution is very necessary at present, and particularly in the place where you now preside; for there are many disorderly persons) and vain talkers, who are deceived in their own minds, in consequence of which it is no wonder if they are active in deceiving others. And this is especially the case with those of the circumcision, who are so eager to impose on their Gentile brethren the ceremonies of the Mosaic law, as if Christianity itself were insufficient to save us without them:

SECT. ii.

Titus 1.10.

11 Whose mouths Whose mouth must therefore be stopped by solid 11 must be stopped, who arguments, and their unreasonable clamours sisubvert whole houses, lenced by the strenuous exercise of discipline: they ought not, for fil. for they are persons who are so active in spreadthy lucre's sake.

teaching things which

12 One of themselves, of their own, said, The

ing these mischievous notions, that they overturn
whole families, teaching things which they ought
not for the sake of infamous gain; hoping by
their doctrines to secure the favour of some rich
men, who never think they can do enough for
those preachers that support their own factions
and dividing notions.

I know that there are many such at present in 12

even a prophet your island; and I remember that Epimenides, Cretans are always li- one of their [countrymen], and a poet in such ars, high renown, that I may call him a kind of prophet of their own, has said, the Cretans are always liars, pernicious savage beasts, and yet slory

a A prophet.] Epimenides, whose words Paul here quotes, is said, by Diogenes Laertius, to have been a great favourite of the gods; but Aristotle says he never foretold any future event; which, as Dr. Scott justly observes (Scott's Christian Life, VOL. X.

G

Vol. III. p. 650), is a plain argument that
the word prophet is sometimes used in a
a large sense, for one who is supposed, by
the person applying the title to him, to be
an instructor of men in Divine things, from
whom the will of the Deity may be learnt.
b Cretans

52 He reminds him of the national character of the Cretans.

SECT. slow bellies, a wretched compound of luxury ars, evil beasts, slow ii. and idleness, fierceness and falsehood, which bellies.

Titus

makes it exceedingly difficult to reform them, 1. 12. or even to live safely and quietly among them. This witness concerning them is, in the general, true, though some particular persons may be 13 found of a different character. For which cause

re

13 This witness is buke them sharply, be

rebuke them severely, when they begin to shew true: wherefore a disposition to corrupt Christianity; that they that they may may be sound in the faith, and that the simpler sound in the faith; part of them may be preserved from the dis

commandments

of

14 honest artifices and attempts of others. And 14 Not giving heed
particularly, that they may not fall into the to Jewish fables and
folly of giving heed to Jewish fables, and to the men, that turn from
commandments and traditions of men, who per- the truth.
vert the truth of the gospel with those human
mixtures by which they have in a great measure
spoiled and enervated the law of Moses, for
which they pretend so great a zeal.

15 I know they value themselves highly upon the
distinctions of food, which they inculcate as
of so great importance to purity. But they are
much mistaken. To the pure indeed all things
[are] pure. A man that habitually exercises a
good

To the pure all things, are pure.

filed, and unbelieving, good conscience towards God, according to the SECT.

is nothing pure; but best of his knowledge, is accepted of him, whe

even their mind and conscience is defiled.

ii.

ther he do, or do not, abstain from such parti Titus
cular kinds of food as they scruple; whereas, 1.15.
to the polluted and unbelieving, which, alas, is
too generally their character, nothing [is] pure,
but their very mind and conscience is defiled, and
they pollute, as it were, every thing they touch;
they sin in all their actions, and even in those
very meals in which they are most careful to ab-
stain from what they have been taught to esteem
common and unclean. I speak not now of all 16

[who, while] they profess

16 They profess that they know God; but in who practise Jewish ceremonies, but of those works they deny him, being abominable, and to know God, and glodisobedient, and unto ry in their relation to him, as his peculiar peoevery good work re- ple, in works deny [him], and act as if they disprobate.

53

believed his very existence; being abominable
to all that can judge of true worth, and disobe-
dient to the plainest dictates of duty, and with
respect to every good work reprobate, disapproved
and condemned, when brought to the standard
of God's word, though they are among the first
to judge and condemn others.

CHAP. II. 1. But

Such is the temper and character of many! Chap.

which become sound doctrine:

speak thou the things But do thou, O Titus, not only guard against the infection thyself, but endeavour to fortify others against it, and speak the things which become wholesome doctrine, doctrine which may tend to promote the health and happiness of

11. 1,

perate, sound in faith,

2 That the aged men those minds by which it is imbibed. And en-2 be sober, grave, tem- deavour to suit thy instructions to the different in charity, in patience: characters of persons whom thou addressest. When, for instance, thou art applying thyself to aged men [admonish] them to be watchful against temptations, which might dishonour their advanced years, by drawing them into any unseemly behaviour: to be grave in their whole deportment, avoiding such levities as are, even in youth itself, rather pardonable than commendable, but in those who are quitting the stage of life highly indecent. Press it upon them, that they be sober and temperate in the use of animal pleasures, as their highest relish for them may well be supposed, by this time, to be abated. In a word, that they be sound, healthful, and vigorous in the several graces of the Christian temper, and particularly in faith, in love, and in patience; that the principles of Christianity may be retained, and have a suitable effect upon their hearts, and produce un bounded

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