John Trapp on 1 Timothy 1

CHAP. I. Verſe 1. By the commandment of God]

FOr how ſhould he have preached except he had been ſent? This he mentioneth, Rom. 10.15. as a thing impoſſible.Act. 4. in Verre.

Of God our Saviour] So the Father alſo is here called. Hoc autem quantum est? (ſaith Tully) I[illegible: 1 letter] nimirum Soter eſt, qui ſalutem dedit. The Greek word here uſed is ſo emphaticall, that other tongues can hardly expreſſe it.

Our hope] So Chriſt is called, becauſe the perfection of our life is hid with Chriſt in God. Something we have in poſſeſſion, but more in reverſion.

Verſe 2. Mine own ſonne] This the Apoſtle ſpeaketh [non-Latin text not transcribed], Out of deep affection, as Chryſoſtome obſerveth.

Grace, mercy and peace] Not only Grace and peace, as to others. When we pray for Miniſters, we muſt be more then ordinary earneſt for them with God.

Verſe 3. That they teach no other doctrine] Either for matter or manner, for ſubſtance or circumſtance. What hideous hereſies are now-adaies broached and preached amongſt us in City and Countrey. See Mr Edwards his Gangrena, the firſt and ſecond part.

Verſe 4. Endleſſe Genealogies] It is but laborious loſſe of time to ſearch into thoſe things, whereof we can neither have proof nor profit: the gains will not pay for the pains, the task is not worthy the toil.

Verſe 5. Now the end of the commandment] Or, of the charge; to wit, of that charge to teach no other doctrine, &c. v. 3, 4. As if the Apoſtle had ſaid, This is that that a teacher ſhould aim at, to beget ſuch a love in his hearers hearts, as may ſpeak them true believers, and good livers. Boni Catholici ſunt (ſaith Augustine) qui & fidem integram ſequuntur, & bonos mores. Thoſe are good Catholikes that believe well, live well. [non-Latin text not transcribed].

Verſe 6. Some having ſwerved] Having miſſed the mark, as unskilfull ſhooters, being heavenly-wide, as Sr Philip Sidney engliſheth that Prove[illegible: 1 letter]b, Toto errant coelo.

Verſe 7. Ʋnderſtanding neither what] Non curo i[illegible: 1 letter]os, ſaith Auguſtine, qui vel non intelligendo reprehendunt, vel reprehendendo non intelligunt. I paſſe not for the cenſures of ſuch,Aug contra Fault. as dare to reprehend what they do not comprehend.

Verſe 8. If a man uſe it lawfully] For diſcovery of ſinne, for manuduction to Chriſt, and for rule of life, Lex, lux, Prov 6.23.Cyropaed. l. b. 1. Xenophon telle[illegible: 1 letter]h us, That this was the drift of the Perſian laws, to keep men from acting, yea from coveting any thing evil or idle.

Verſe 9. Is not made for a righteous] For he is freed by Chriſt from the coaction, malediction and irritation of the law.

But for the lawleſſe, &c.] Thoſe maſterleſſe monſters, that ſend meſſages after Chriſt, ſaying, We will not have this man to raign over us. But ſhall they thus eſcape by iniquity? In thine anger thou will caſt down theſe people, ô God, Pſal. 56.7. Aut faciendum, aut patiendum. They that will not bend ſhall break: They that will not be Chriſts ſubjects, ſhall be his foot-ſtool: his arrows are ſharp in the hearts of the Kings enemies, whereby the people (that fall not down before him,) fall under him, Pſal. 45.5.

Verſe 10. For men-stealers] That ſteal away other mens children: ſo thoſe that ſteal other mens books and writings, and ſet them out in their own name: as one dealt by Diagoras, who thereupon, out of diſcontent (becauſe he that had done it was not preſently ſtricken with a thunder-bolt) became an Atheiſt.Diod. Sie. So Fabricius ſtole Tremellius his Syriack tranſlation, Villavincentius ſtole Hyperius his Treatiſe, De ratione ſtudij Theologici, and Poſſevinus lately tranſlated Dr James his Cyprianus redivivns into his Apparatus Theologicus, and made it his own doing. Sic vos non vobis.

Verſe 11. Of the bleſſed God] Bleſſed in himſelf, and to be everlaſtingly bleſſed of all creatures. Hence he is called, The bleſſed, Mark 14.61. And frequently in the Commentaries of the Hebrew-Doctours he is ſet forth by this title Baruch hu, He that is bleſſed.

Verſe 12. Who hath enabled me] Chriſt ſends none, but whom he gifts. Aſinos elegit Chriſtus & idiotas, ſed oculavit in prudentes, ſimul que dona dedit & miniſteria.

Verſe 13. Who was before a blaſphemer] Chryſostom obſerves it of Paul, as his greateſt honour, that although he had obtained pardon of God for his ſins, yet he is not aſhamed to reckon them up to the world. So David does penance in a white ſheet, as it were, Pſal. Popiſh decrees,Act. and. Mon. 1574. 51. titl. So Augustine writeth books of Confeſſions. And I was as obſtinate a Papiſt, ſaith Latimer, as any was in England, and ſo ſervile an obſerver of the Popiſh decrees, that I thought I had never ſufficiently mingled my maſſing-wine with water, and that I ſhould never be damned, if I were once a profeſſed Frier. Alſo when I ſhould be made Bachelour of Divinity, my whole Oration went againſt Philip Melancthon and his opinions. And ſtanding in the ſchools when Mr Stafford (a godly Orthodox Divine) read,Ibid 9 [illegible: 1 letter]4. Latimer bad the ſchollars not to hear him, exhorted the people not to believe him. And yet the ſaid Latimer confeſſed himſelf, that he gave thanks to God that he asked him forgivenes before he departed.

Verſe 14. [non-Latin text not transcribed]. Was exceeding abundant] Hath abounded to flowing over: as the ſea doth above mole-hils. I will ſcatter your ſins as a miſt, ſaith God, and they ſhall be cast into the midst of the ſea. Note thoſe two Metaphors, and deſpair, if thou canſt.

Verſe 15. This is a faithfull ſaying] Worthy to be credited and embraced, as it was by Bilney the Martyr, who by this promiſe was much comforted in a great conflict. So was Ʋrſine by Joh. 10.29. Another by Iſaiah 57.15. And another by Iſaiah 26.3. ſaying, That God had graciouſly made it fully good to his ſoul.

Of whom I am chief] Primus, quo nullus prior, as Gerſon expounds it, [illegible: 1 letter]mò quo nullus pejor, as Auguſtine, worſer then the worſt. The true Poenitentiary doth not elevate but aggravate his ſinnes againſt himſelf, is ever full in the mouth this way, as Dan 9 5.

Verſe 16. Might ſhew forth] By full demonſtration and ſufficient evidence, ſo that all might ſee and ſay, [non-Latin text not transcribed]. There is mercy with Chriſt that he may be feared, yea mercy rejoycing againſt judgement, that he may be everlaſtingly admired and adored.

For a patern to them, &c.] Therefore the Apoſtle was aſſured of remiſſion in an ordinary way, and not by any ſpeciall revelation.

Verſe 17. Now unto the King immortall] Paul cannot mention the great work of our redemption without a thankfull acclamation. The Grecians being reſtored to liberty by the Roman Generall Q. Flaminius, Plut. in Flamin. he was entertained by them with ſuch applauſes and acclamations, whiles they roared out Saviour, Saviour, that the very birds that flew over them, aſtoniſhed with the noiſe, fell to the ground. When Hunn[illegible: 1 letter]ades had overthrown M[illegible: 1 letter]ſites, the Turks General; at his return from the Camp,Turk. Hiſt. 269 ſome called him the Father, ſome the Defender of his countrey; the ſouldiers, their Invincible Generall; the Captives, Their Deliverer; the women, Their Protectour, &c.

The only wiſe God] The temple of Sophia] in Conſtantinople is now the Turks chief Moſchee, Ibid. 342. and by them ſtill called Sophia, becauſe they hold, even as we do, that the wiſdome of God is incomprehenſible.

Verſe 18. Sonne Timothy] This is Timothies task, whom the Apoſtle fitly calleth Sonne, according to the cuſtome both of thoſe and theſe times. Patres eos di[illegible: 1 letter]imus qui nos catecheſi instituerunt, ſaith Clement. We call them fathers that inſtruct and catechize us.

Verſe 19. Holding faith and a good conſcience] A good conſcience, ſaith one, is as it were a cheſt; wherein the doctrine of faith is to be kept ſafe, which will quickly be loſt, if this cheſt be once broken: For God will give over to errours and hereſies ſuch as caſt a way conſcience of walking after Gods Word. What a blinde buzzard then was that Popiſh Inquiſitour, who ſaid of the Waldenſes, You may know the heretikes by their words and manners. Sunt enim in moribus compoſiti & modesti: ſup[illegible: 1 letter]rbiam in veſtibus non habent, &c. They are neither immodeſt in their carriage, D Ʋſher. de Chriſt Eccleſ. ſucceſſ &c. [non-Latin text not transcribed]. nor proud in their apparrel, &c?

Verſe 20. That they may learn] Ʋt caſtigati diſcant: that being buffetted and bodily tormented by Satan, as Act. 13.2. (for as yet there were no Chriſtian Magiſtrates) they may learn,

Not to blaſpheme] That is not to hold erroneouſly; and to live ſcandalouſly, to the reproach of the Goſpel. Conferre, Prov. 30 9.