The life and work of St. Paul

65# THE LIFE AND WOBK OF 8*. PAtTL.
tality, kindly service, succour to the afflicted, and continuance !n every good
work. But Timothy is to have nothing to say to younger widows who want
to marry again when they begin to wax restive against the yoke of Christ
and so are convicted of setting at nought their first faith. 1 To avoid the
danger of gadding idleness and unseemly gossiping, it is better that such
should avoid all chance of creating scandal by quietly re-entering into mnr.
ried life. Heuce all younger widows must be supported by their own relations,
and not at the expense of the Church. 8
Keturning to the Presbyters, he quotes the passage of Deuteronomy,
" Thou shalt not muzzle a threshing ox," and adds the maxim, " The labourer
is worthy of his hire," 3 to support his rule that "double honour" be paid to
4 faithful and laborious pastors. If they do wrong they must indeed be
"
I solemnly charge thee
rebuked, but never on ill-supported accusations.
6 before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, to observe these
rules without prejudice, and without doing anything by favour." He is not
to ordain any one too hastily, lest he be involved in the responsibility for their
sins ; and this discrimination is the more necessary because there are flagrant
sins which marshal men to judgment, and hidden sins which stealthily follow
behind them ; just as also there are some good works which are openly mani-
fest, and others which are concealed, although ultimately all shall stand
revealed in their true light.
In the very midst of these wise and serious directions are introduced two
personal exhortations. One of them "Keep thyself pure" may naturally
have been suggested by the passing thought that he whose duty it was to
exorcise so careful an oversight over others must be specially watchful to be
himself free from every stain. The other, " Be no longer a water-drinker, but
use a little wine because of thy stomach, and thy frequent infirmities," 6 is so
casual that, though we see at once how it may have occurred to St. Paul's
I'olycarp calls them "
Ovo-iao-njpioj' 8eof>, an
"
altar of God (ad Phil. 4). From the severity
of some of St. Paul's remarks, Benss thinks that he may have had in view the occasional
second marriage of Christian widows with Pagans, which would be a disgraceful proceeding
after they had received assistance from the Church. They might be "deaconesses
" earlier than sixty, but not " widows."
1 In their practical pledge not to marry again when they were placed on the official
list of widows.
3
v. 116.
8 1 Cor. ix. 9. Those who apply ^ ypafo to both clauses must admit that the Gospel of
St. Luke had been published, and had come to be regarded of Divine authority, before
this Epistle (Luke x. 7). But the inference is most precarious, for our Lord often
alluded ;to current proverbs, and ^ yp>) may here only apply to the quotation from
Deut. xiv. 4.
4
SurXii TI/J is a perfectly general expression. The spirit of foolish literalism led
to double rations for the Presbyters at the Agapae.
5 See 1 Cor. xi. 10 ; 1 Pet. i. 12. It is not possible to explain the exact shade of
meaning in the word "elect." ,They are probably so called, as Calvin says, "excellentiae
causa." Cf. rove iepovs iyWAnvc 'm Agrippa's adjuration to the Jews not to rebel against
Rome (Jos. B. J. ii. 16, 4, and Tobit xii. 15).
6 These "frequent infirmities" perhaps explain the timidity of Timothy's character
(1 Cor. xvi. 10, 11), Some have seen a reflex of this in the reproaches addressed, in the
midst of praise. " to the angel of the Church of Ephesus,"