58 lines
4.3 KiB
XML
58 lines
4.3 KiB
XML
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<div2 id="Tit.i" n="i" next="Tit.ii" prev="Tit" progress="71.96%" title="Introduction">
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<h2 id="Tit.i-p0.1">Titus</h2>
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<p class="Center" id="Tit.i-p1">Completed by <span class="smallcaps" id="Tit.i-p1.1">Jeremiah Smith</span>.</p>
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<hr/>
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<pb id="Tit.i-Page_852" n="852"/>
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<div class="Center" id="Tit.i-p1.3">
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<p id="Tit.i-p2"><b>AN</b></p>
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<h3 id="Tit.i-p2.1">EXPOSITION,</h3>
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<h4 id="Tit.i-p2.2">W I T H P R A C T I C A L O B S E
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R V A T I O N S,</h4>
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<h5 id="Tit.i-p2.3">OF THE EPISTLE OF ST. PAUL TO</h5>
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<h2 id="Tit.i-p2.4">T I T U S.</h2>
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<hr style="width:2in"/>
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</div>
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<p class="indent" id="Tit.i-p3"><span class="smallcaps" id="Tit.i-p3.1">This</span> Epistle
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of Paul to Titus is much of the same nature with those to Timothy;
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both were converts of Paul, and his companions in labours and
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sufferings; both were in the office of evangelists, whose work was
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to water the churches planted by the apostles, and to set in order
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the things that were wanting in them: they were vice-apostles, as
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it were, <i>working the work of the Lord, as they did,</i> and
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mostly under their direction, though not despotic and arbitrary,
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but with the concurring exercise of their own prudence and
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judgment, <scripRef id="Tit.i-p3.2" osisRef="Bible:1Cor.16.10 Bible:1Cor.16.12" parsed="|1Cor|16|10|0|0;|1Cor|16|12|0|0" passage="1Co 16:10,12">1 Cor. xvi. 10,
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12</scripRef>. We read much of this Titus, his titles, character,
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and active usefulness, in many places—he was a Greek, <scripRef id="Tit.i-p3.3" osisRef="Bible:Gal.2.3" parsed="|Gal|2|3|0|0" passage="Ga 2:3">Gal. ii. 3</scripRef>. Paul called him <i>his
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son</i> (<scripRef id="Tit.i-p3.4" osisRef="Bible:Titus.1.4" parsed="|Titus|1|4|0|0" passage="Tit 1:4">Tit. i. 4</scripRef>), <i>his
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brother</i> (<scripRef id="Tit.i-p3.5" osisRef="Bible:2Cor.2.13" parsed="|2Cor|2|13|0|0" passage="2Co 2:13">2 Cor. ii.
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13</scripRef>), <i>his partner and fellow-helper</i> (<scripRef id="Tit.i-p3.6" osisRef="Bible:2Cor.8.23" parsed="|2Cor|8|23|0|0" passage="2Co 8:23">2 Cor. viii. 23</scripRef>), <i>one that walked
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in the same spirit and in the same steps with himself.</i> He went
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up with the apostles to the church at Jerusalem (<scripRef id="Tit.i-p3.7" osisRef="Bible:Gal.2.1" parsed="|Gal|2|1|0|0" passage="Ga 2:1">Gal. ii. 1</scripRef>), was much conversant at Corinth,
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for which church he had <i>an earnest care,</i> <scripRef id="Tit.i-p3.8" osisRef="Bible:2Cor.8.16" parsed="|2Cor|8|16|0|0" passage="2Co 8:16">2 Cor. viii. 16</scripRef>. Paul's second epistle to
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them, and probably his first also, was sent by his hand, <scripRef id="Tit.i-p3.9" osisRef="Bible:2Cor.8.16-2Cor.8.18 Bible:2Cor.8.23 Bible:2Cor.9.2-2Cor.9.4 Bible:2Cor.12.18" parsed="|2Cor|8|16|8|18;|2Cor|8|23|0|0;|2Cor|9|2|9|4;|2Cor|12|18|0|0" passage="2Co 8:16-18,23,9:2-4,12:18">2 Cor. viii. 16-18, 23; ix.
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2-4; xii. 18</scripRef>. He was with the apostle at Rome, and
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thence went into Dalmatia (<scripRef id="Tit.i-p3.10" osisRef="Bible:2Tim.4.10" parsed="|2Tim|4|10|0|0" passage="2Ti 4:10">2 Tim. iv.
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10</scripRef>), after which no more occurs of him in the
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scriptures. So that by them he appears not to have been a fixed
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bishop; if such he were, and in those times, the church of Corinth,
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where he most laboured, had the best title to him. In Crete (now
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called <i>Candia,</i> formerly <i>Hecatompolis,</i> from the
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hundred cities that were in it), a large island at the mouth of the
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Ægean Sea, the gospel had got some footing; and here were Paul and
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Titus in one of their travels, cultivating this plantation; but the
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apostle of the Gentiles, having on him the care of all the
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churches, could not himself tarry long at this place. He therefore
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left Titus some time there, to carry on the work which had been
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begun, wherein, probably, meeting with more difficulty than
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ordinary, Paul wrote this epistle to him; and yet perhaps not so
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much for his own sake as for the people's, that the endeavours of
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Titus, strengthened with apostolic advice and authority, might be
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more significant and effectual among them. He was to see all the
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cities furnished with good pastors, to reject and keep out the
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unmeet and unworthy, to teach sound doctrine, and instruct all
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sorts in their duties, to set forth the free grace of God in man's
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salvation by Christ, and withal to show the necessity of
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maintaining good works by those who have believed in God and hope
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for eternal life from him.</p>
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</div2>
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