NOTES

ST. PAUL'S EPISTLE TO TITUS.

Titus was converted from heathenism by St. Paul, # Gal 2:3

and, as it seems, very early; since the apostle accounted him

as his brother at his first going into Macedonia: and he

managed and settled the churches there, when St. Paul thought

not good to go thither himself. He had now left him at Crete,

to regulate the churches; to assist him wherein, he wrote this

epistle, as is generally believed, after the First, and before

the Second, to Timothy. The tenor and style are much alike in

this and in those; and they cast much light on each other, and

are worthy the serious attention of all Christian ministers and

churches in all ages.

This epistle has four parts:-

I. The inscription,............................. C.i. 1-4

II. The instruction of Titus to this effect

1. Ordain good presbyters,.......................... 5-9

2. Such are especially needful at Crete,.......... 10-12

3. Reprove and admonish the Cretans,.............. 13-16

4. Teach aged men and women,................. C. ii. 1-5

And young men, being a pattern to them,.......... 6-8

And servants, urging them by a glorious motive,. 9-15

5. Press obedience to magistrates, and

gentleness to all men,................... C. iii. 1-2

Enforcing it by the same motive,................. 3-7

6. Good works are to be done, foolish

questions avoided. heretics shunned,............ 8-11

III. An invitation of Titus to Nicopolis,

with some admonitions,........................ 12-14

IV. The conclusion,................................... 15

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Verse 1. Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus

Christ-Titles suitable to the person of Paul, and the office

he was assigning to Titus. According to the faith-The

propagating of which is the proper business of an apostle. A

servant of God-According to the faith of the elect. An apostle

of Jesus Christ-According to the knowledge of the truth. We

serve God according to the measure of our faith: we fulfil our

public office according to the measure of our knowledge. The

truth that is after godliness-Which in every point runs parallel

with and supports the vital, spiritual worship of God; and,

indeed, has no other end or scope. These two verses contain

the sum of Christianity, which Titus was always to have in his

eye. Of the elect of God-Of all real Christians

Verse 2. In hope of eternal life-The grand motive and

encouragement of every apostle and every servant of God. Which

God promised before the world began-To Christ, our Head.

Verse 3. And he hath in his own times-At sundry times; and his

own times are fittest for his own work. What creature dares

ask, "Why no sooner?" Manifested his word-Containing that

promise, and the whole "truth which is after godliness."

Through the preaching wherewith I am intrusted according to the

commandment of God our Saviour-And who dares exercise this

office on any less authority?

Verse 4. My own son-Begot in the same image of God, and

repaying a paternal with a filial affection. The common

faith-Common to me and all my spiritual children.

Verse 5. The things which are wanting-Which I had not time

to settle myself. Ordain elders-Appoint the most faithful,

zealous men to watch over the rest. Their character follows,

# Tit 1:6-9.

These were the elders, or bishops, that Paul approved of;-men

that had living faith, a pure conscience, a blameless life.

Verse 6. The husband of one wife-Surely the Holy Ghost, by

repeating this so often, designed to leave the Romanists

without excuse.

Verse 7. As the steward of God-To whom he intrusts immortal

souls. Not selfwilled-Literally, pleasing himself; but all

men "for their good to edification." Not passionate-But mild,

yielding, tender.

Verse 9. As he hath been taught-Perhaps it might be more

literally rendered, according to the teaching, or doctrine,

of the apostles; alluding to # Acts 2:42.

Verse 10. They of the circumcision-The Jewish converts.

Verse 11. Stopped-The word properly means, to put a bit into

the mouth of an unruly horse.

Verse 12. A prophet-So all poets were anciently called; but,

besides, Diogenes Laertius says that Epimenides, the Cretan

poet, foretold many things. Evil wild beasts-Fierce and savage.

Verse 14. Commandments of men-The Jewish or other teachers,

whoever they were that turned from the truth.

Verse 15. To the pure-Those whose hearts are purified by faith

this we allow. All things are pure-All kinds of meat; the

Mosaic distinction between clean and unclean meats being now

taken away. But to the defiled and unbelieving nothing is

pure-The apostle joins defiled and unbelieving, to intimate

that nothing can be clean without a true faith: for both the

understanding and conscience, those leading powers of the soul,

are polluted; consequently, so is the man and all he does.

Verse 1. Wholesome-Restoring and preserving spiritual health.

Verse 2. Vigilant-As veteran soldiers, not easily to be

surprised. Patience-A virtue particularly needful for and

becoming them. Serious-Not drolling or diverting on the brink

of eternity.

Verse 3. In behaviour-The particulars whereof follow. As

becometh holiness-Literally, observing an holy decorum. Not

slanderers-Or evil-speakers. Not given to much wine-If they

use a little for their often infirmities. Teachers-Age and

experience call them so to be. Let them teach good only.

Verse 4. That they instruct the young women-These Timothy was

to instruct himself; Titus, by the elder women. To love their

husbands, their children-With a tender, temperate, holy, wise

affection. O how hard a lesson.

Verse 5. Discreet-Particularly in the love of their children.

Chaste-Particularly in the love of their husbands. Keepers at

home-Whenever they are not called out by works of necessity,

piety, and mercy. Good-Well tempered, sweet, soft, obliging.

Obedient to their husbands-Whose will, in all things lawful, is

a rule to the wife. That the word of God be not blasphemed-Or

evil spoken of; particularly by unbelieving husbands, who lay

all the blame on the religion of their wives.

Verse 6. To be discreet-A virtue rarely found in youth.

Verse 7. Showing thyself a pattern-Titus himself was then

young. In the doctrine which thou teachest in public: as to

matter, uncorruptness; as to the manner of delivering it,

seriousness-Weightiness, solemnity.

Verse 8. Wholesome speech-In private conversation.

Verse 9. Please them in all things-Wherein it can be done

without sin. Not answering again-Though blamed unjustly. This

honest servants are most apt to do. Not stealing-Not taking or

giving any thing without their master's leave: this fair-spoken

servants are apt to do.

Verse 10. Showing all good fidelity-Soft, obliging faithfulness

That they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour-More than

St. Paul says of kings. How he raises the lowness of his

subject! So may they, the lowness of their condition.

Verse 11. The saving grace of God-So it is in its nature,

tendency, and design. Hath appeared to all men-High and low.

Verse 12. Instructing us-All who do not reject it. That,

having renounced ungodliness-Whatever is contrary to the fear

and love of God. And worldly desires-Which are opposite to

sobriety and righteousness. We should live soberly-In all

purity and holiness. Sobriety, in the scripture sense, is

rather the whole temper of a man, than a single virtue in him.

It comprehends all that is opposite to the drowsiness of sin,

the folly of ignorance, the unholiness of disorderly passions.

Sobriety is no less than all the powers of the soul being

consistently and constantly awake, duly governed by heavenly

prudence, and entirely conformable to holy affections. And

righteously-Doing to all as we would they should do to us.

And godly-As those who are consecrated to God both in heart

and life.

Verse 13. Looking-With eager desire. For that glorious

appearing-Which we hope for. Of the great God, even our

Saviour Jesus Christ-So that, if there be (according to the

Arian scheme) a great God and a little God, Christ is not the

little God, but the great one.

Verse 14. Who gave himself for us-To die in our stead. That he

might redeem us-Miserable bondslaves, as well from the power

and the very being, as from the guilt, of all our sins.

Verse 15. Let no man despise thee-That is, let none have any

just cause to despise thee. Yet they surely will. Men who

know not God will despise a true minister of his word.

Verse 1. Remind them-All the Cretan Christians. To be subject

-Passively, not resisting. To principalities-Supreme. And

powers-Subordinate governors. And to obey-Them actively, so

far as conscience permits.

Verse 2. To speak evil-Neither of them nor any man. Not to be

quarrelsome-To assault none. To be gentle-When assaulted.

Toward all men-Even those who are such as we were.

Verse 3. For we-And as God hath dealt with us, so ought we

to deal with our neighbour. Were without understanding-Wholly

ignorant of God. And disobedient-When he was declared to us.

Verse 4. When the love of God appeared-By the light of his

Spirit to our inmost soul.

Verse 5. Not by works-In this important passage the apostle

presents us with a delightful view of our redemption. Herein

we have,

1. The cause of it; not our works or righteousness, but

"the kindness and love of God our Saviour."

2. The effects; which are,

(1.) Justification; "being justified," pardoned and accepted

through the alone merits of Christ, not from any desert

in us, but according to his own mercy, "by his grace,"

his free, unmerited goodness.

(2.) Sanctification, expressed by the laver of regeneration,

(that is, baptism, the thing signified, as well as the

outward sign,) and the renewal of the Holy Ghost; which

purifies the soul, as water cleanses the body, and renews

it in the whole image of God.

3. The consummation of all;-that we might become heirs of

eternal life, and live now in the joyful hope of it.

Verse 8. Be careful to excel in good works-Though the apostle

does not lay these for the foundation, yet he brings them in at

their proper place, and then mentions them, not slightly, but

as affairs of great importance. He desires that all believers

should be careful-Have their thoughts upon them: use their best

contrivance, their utmost endeavours, not barely to practise,

but to excel, to be eminent and distinguished in them: because,

though they are not the ground of our reconciliation with God,

yet they are amiable and honourable to the Christian profession.

And profitable to men-Means of increasing the everlasting

happiness both of ourselves and others.

10. An heretic (after a first and second admonition)

reject-Avoid, leave to himself. This is the only place, in the

whole scripture, where this word heretic occurs; and here it

evidently means, a man that obstinately persists in contending

about "foolish questions," and thereby occasions strife and

animosities, schisms and parties in the church. This, and this

alone, is an heretic in the scripture sense; and his punishment

likewise is here fixed. Shun, avoid him, leave him to himself.

As for the Popish sense, "A man that errs in fundamentals,"

although it crept, with many other things, early into the

church, yet it has no shadow of foundation either in the Old or

New Testament.

11. Such an one is perverted-In his heart, at least.

And sinneth, being self-condemned-Being convinced in his

own conscience that he acts wrong.

Verse 12. When I shall send Artemas or Tychicus-To succeed thee

in thy office. Titus was properly an evangelist, who, according

to the nature of that office, had no fixed residence; but

presided over other elders, wherever he travelled from place to

place, assisting each of the apostles according to the measure

of his abilities. Come to me to Nicopolis-Very probably not the

Nicopolis in Macedonia, as the vulgar subscription asserts:

(indeed, none of those subscriptions at the end of St. Paul's

epistles are of any authority:) rather it was a town of the

same name which lay upon the sea-coast of Epirus. For I have

determined to winter there-Hence it appears, he was not there

yet; if so, he would have said, to winter here. Consequently,

this letter was not written from thence.

Verse 13. Send forward Zenas the lawyer-Either a Roman lawyer

or an expounder of the Jewish law.

Verse 14. And let ours-All our brethren at Crete. Learn-Both

by thy admonition and example. Perhaps they had not before

assisted Zenas and Apollos as they ought to have done.

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