John Trapp on 1 Timothy 5

CHAP. V. Verſe 1. Rebuke not an Elder]

LAſh him not with the ſcourge of the tongue, [non-Latin text not transcribed]. Ne plagam in. [illegible: 1 letter]ixeris. as a puny-boy. Jerk him not as the Pope did Henry 4. of France in the perſon of his Embaſſadour, or as the Biſhops and their ſhavelings did Henry the 2. of England, till the bloud followed. This is not civill uſage for an Elder.

Verſe 2. [non-Latin text not transcribed]. With all purity] Not with ſome only, but with as purity, for fear of the worſt: and leaſt any impure motion therewhile creep into the heart unawares.

Verſe 3. Honour widows indead] That is ſuch as are widows not by divorce, but by the death of their husbands, and loſſe of their children: ſuch as was Naomi. Honour them, that is, take them into the Colledge of widows, to be maintained at the Churches charge.

Verſe 4. Let them learn firſt to ſhew] Such any one is in truth, as he is at home, Pſ. 101.2. The hypocrites vertues (as that of the Sarmatians) run all outward. Something he ſeems abroad, but follow him home, and you ſhall ſoon ſee what he it [illegible: 1 letter] follow ſtage-plaiers into their thing-houſe where they diſrobe themſelves, and then it will appear they are vile varlets. Like unto this Apoſtolicall procept was thee of Chil[illegible: 1 letter], one of the wiſe men of [illegible: 1 word], [illegible: 1 span] [non-Latin text not transcribed] to govern honeſtly a mans [non-Latin text not transcribed].

And to requite their parents] See the Note on Matthew 15.4.

Verſe 5. Truſteth in God] Whereas while ſhe had an husband and children, ſhe truſted over-much in them. The Hemorroiſſe ſought not to our Saviour, till all her money was gone, Z[illegible: 1 letter]ph. 3.12. They are an afflicted poor people: therefore they truſt in the name of the Lord.

Verſe 6. Is dead while ſhe liveth] Cùm careat purâ mente. cadaver agit. Pamphilus in Terence ſaith the like of a light huſwife. Sanè hercle homo voluptati obſequens fuit dum vixit. Saint Pauls Greek cannot well be rendered but by Terences latine, and Terences latine cannot be well put into other Greek.

Verſe 7. And theſe things give in charge] Often inculcate, and ſet on with a great deal of vehemency, that religion ſuffer not.

Verſe 8. But if any provide not] That they may have Gaiuſſes proſperity, Mentem ſanam in corpore ſano: Though the Apoſtles meaning here is chiefly, as touching bodily nouriſhment and outward accommodations.

Specially for thoſe of his own houſe] Socrates, [non-Latin text not transcribed] an Infidel, took care of the welfare of his family and allies, as Libanius teſtifieth, Biſhop Ridley was very kinde and naturall to his kinsfolk, And the Lord Cromwell before the time of his apprehenſion,Act. and Dſon. fol. 1559. Ibid. 1086. took ſuch order for his ſervants, that many of them, eſpecially the younger brethren which had little elſe to truſt unto, had honeſtly leſt for them in their friends hands, to relieve them whatſoever ſhould befall him.

Verſe 9. The wife of one man] As Anna, Luke 1.36. Such are held to be more modeſt, to whom the thoughts of death hath been enough to forbid the banes of ſecond marriage.

Verſe 10. Well reported of, &c.] A good name is better then precious ointment, Eccleſ. 7.1. And rather to be choſen then great riches, Prov. 22.1. Provident we muſt be to preſerve it, learning of the unjuſt ſteward by lawfull (though he did it by unlawfull means:) for our Saviour noted this defect, when he ſaid, The children of this World are [illegible: 1 letter]i[illegible: 1 letter] ſer in their generation then the children of light, Luke 16.8. [non-Latin text not transcribed].

Verſe 11. To wax wanton] To runne away (as pampered Palfreys) with the bit betwixt their teeth, and to play the jades.

Verſe 12. Having damnation] Or publike reproach, as Verſe 14. for their deſultory lightneſſe and inconſiderate raſhneſſe.

Caſt off their firſt faith] Not that of their baptiſme (as divers of the Indians doe that have been baptized by the Spaniards) but their viduall promiſed chaſtity and ſervice to the Saints.

Verſe 13. They learn to be idle] It is an art ſoon learned, by doing nothing to doe naughtily. Nihil agendo male agere diſcunt. Idleneſſe is the hour of temptation: and an idle perſon is the devils tennis-ball, toſſed by him, at his pleaſure.

Wandering about from houſe to houſe] As vagrants, or as pedlers opening their packs, and dropping here a tale, and there a tale. A practice flatly forbidden by God, Levit. 19.16. Thou ſhalt not go up and down as a tale-bearer. The Hebrew word ſignifieth a pedler. [non-Latin text not transcribed] Whence [non-Latin text not transcribed] And another Hebrew word uſed for defaming or ſlandering, Pſal. 15.3. properly noteth a footing or trotting it up and down,for a foot. prying and ſpying, and carrying tales and rumours, 2 Sam. 19.27. Beeman. de origin ling lat. The Greek word alſo [non-Latin text not transcribed], and the latine word Arguo, firſt ſignifies to be idle, and next to reprehend others. Becauſe they that have little to do at home, will be over-buſie abroad, in cenſuring and ſlandering others.

And not only idle] The firſt born of idleneſſe, is to do nothing: the next iſſue that ſhe hath is, to do evil. Otium negotium, Idlenes is a kinde of buſines.

But [illegible: 1 letter]atlers alſo] [non-Latin text not transcribed]. Gr. Triſt[illegible: 1 letter]rs: Magno conatu magnas nugas agunt. The Rabbins have a Proverb, That ten Kabs of ſpeech deſcended into the world, and the women took a way nine of them.

And buſie bodies] For every fool will be medling, Pro. 20 3.

Speaking things, &c.] It is a very hard thing well to manage many words, [non-Latin text not transcribed], In multilaquio ſtultiloquium.

Verſe 14. Give none occaſion to the adverſary] The devil or his inſtruments, whoſe mouths he oft borrows to blaſpheme and rail with.

Verſe 15. Turned aſide after Satan] Revolted from Chriſtian religion, going out of Gods bleſſing into the worlds warm Sunne. Theſe could not chuſe unto themſelves a worſe condition.

Verſe 16. Have widdows] That are widdows indeed, that have neither children nor nephews to relieve them, verſ. 3. of whom by the law of nature they may require [non-Latin text not transcribed], aliment and ſuccour.

And let not the Church be charged] How then will Churchrobbers anſwer it, if Church chargers be in a fault? Let them give us a juſt Commentary upon Prov, 20.25. and remember Cardinal Wolſey, and his ſacrilegious inſtruments: five of whom came to fearfull ends, as Scultetus recordeth and concludeth with this with,Scultet Annal. dec 1 p. 332. Ʋtinam his & ſimilibus exemplis edocti diſcant homines res ſemel Deo conſecratos timidè attrectare. I would that men would be warned by theſe examples, and better adviſed how they meddle with Church maintenance, thereby to enrich themſelves.

Verſe 17. Worthy of double honour] viz. Countenance and maintenance; they may give themſelves continually and chearfully to preaching and praier, Act. 6.4. Let them have reverence and recompence.

They who labour] Even to laſſitude, [non-Latin text not transcribed]. as he doth that cleaveth wood, or that toileth in harveſt, or that goeth on warfare, 2 Tim. 2, 3, 4, Preaching is a painfull work, and enfeebleth a man exceedingly, whence the Prophet cries out, My leanneſſe[illegible: 1 letter] my leanneſſe. And our Saviour at little paſt thirty, was reckoned by the Jews to be toward fifty, Joh. 8.57. It is ſuppoſed by Divines, that he had ſo ſpent himſelf in preaching, that he ſeemed to the Jews to be much elder then he was.

Verſe 18. Worthy of his hire] Of his meat, Mat. 10.10. of his wages, as here. Harveſt-labourers have meat and drink, and double-wages.

Verſe 19. Receive not an accuſation] If to be accuſed were ſufficient to make a man guilty, no good Miniſter ſhould be innocent. Praedicare nihil aliud eſt quam derivare in ſe ſurorem totius mundi, ſaith Luther. Truth hath alwaies a ſcratcht face. Men hate him that reproveth in the gate. Every fool hath a bolt to ſhoot at a faithfull Preacher.

Verſe 20 Them that ſin] i. e. Thoſe Presbyters that ſin publikely, ſcandalouſly, as did Peter, Gal. 2.14. and thoſe who were convicted, by two or three witneſſes, as ver. 19. Rebuke before all: yet not as if they were whipping boyes. See the Note on ver. 1. of this Chapter. But if the fault be not known abroad, that rule of our Saviour takes place, Mat. 18.15, 16. Conſtantine the Great was heard to ſay, That if he ſhould take a Preſbyter in the act of adultery, he would cover the matter with his imperiall robe, rather then it ſhould come abroad to the ſcandalſ of the weak, and ſcorn of the wicked.

Verſe 21. [non-Latin text not transcribed]. Without preferring one] Or, Without precipitation or prejudice. Omne judicium a ſe aufert, qui adcauſam praejudicium aſſert. A Judge muſt not fit to hear perſons, but cauſes: therefore juſtice is drawn blinde-fold.

Doing nothing by partiality] [non-Latin text not transcribed]. By tilting the balance o'th'one ſide, as the words ſignifies. An even hand muſt be carried betwixt party and party. The contrary whereunto is called by the Greeks [non-Latin text not transcribed], ſiding.

Verſe 22. Lay hands ſuddenly on no man] The beſt that can come of raſhneſſe is repentance. [non-Latin text not transcribed] Plutarch. Scipio would not yeeld that a wiſe man ſhould ever come in with, Had I Wist. In ordination of Miniſters all poſſible care and caution is to be uſed. Chryſoſtome thinks that that earneſtnes uſed by the Apoſtle in the former verſe, belongs chiefly to this. Some alſo make the two laſt verſes a reaſon of this.

Verſe 23. Drink no longer water] Timothy living among the luxurious Epheſians, was ſo abſtemious, that the Apoſtle is fain to preſcribe him pbyſick. Hypocrites will be chaſt only in the mountains where are no women, and ſober in Scythia where are no vines: but Lot was chaſt in the midſt of Sodome; and Anacbarſis temperate among the debauched Athenians. The faithfull in the world are like a pearl in puddle; they loſe nothing of their vertue. though amidſt the vicious.

Verſe 24. Some mens ſins] The Judge of the earth keepeth his petty-ſeſſions now, letting the law paſſe upon ſome few, reſerving the reſt till the great aſſizes. Some wicked God puniſheth here leſt his providence, but not all, leſt his patience and promiſe of judgement ſhould be called into queſtion,Augan Pſ. 30. as Auguſtine hath obſerved.

Verſe 25. Cannot be hid] As putid hypocriſie ſhall be detected (fir the name of the wicked muſt rot) ſo wronged innocency ſhall be cleared, as the ecclipſed moon wades out of the ſhadow, and recovers her ſplendour.