Titus 1

Titus 1:1

ACcording to the faith] Either the doctrine of faith which the Elect of God have ever beleeved from the beginning; or according to the faith which was wrought in the Elect, and whereby they are led to the acknowledgement of the saving truth of Christian Religion.

Titus 1:2

In hope] Or, for hope.

before the world began] Or, secular, or, everlasting times. See 2 Timothy 1:9. 1 Peter 1:20.

Titus 1:4

own sonne] See 1 Timothy 1:2.

common faith] That which before he called the faith of the Elect, he here calleth the common faith: as Jude v. 3. the common salvation that is, the ordinary means of salvation, or the faith communicated to all the Elect through the whole world; or the faith common to me and thee, for there is but one way of salvation common, both to the Pastour and the flock, to the father in Christ, as the Apostle was, and the sonne begotten by him in the Gospel, as Titus was.

Titus 1:5

left I thee in Crete] Crete is an Island in the Mediterranean or Mid-land Sea, now called Candie; of which see Acts 2:11. & 27. 7, 12.

set in order] Either to correct and amend what was done amisse, or farther to supply and perfect whatsoever was lacking of things behooffull to the Church.

wanting] Or, left undone.

ordain elders] Gr. appoint. That is, Pastours, one or more in all places, where there is a convenient number of the faithfull.

had appointed] Gr. gave order to.

Titus 1:6

If any be blamelesse] See 1 Tim. 3. 2, &c.

Titus 1:7

a bishop] See Phil. 1. 1. 1 Timothy 3:2.

good men] Or, good things.

Titus 1:9

as he hath been taught] Or, in teaching.

exhort] Gr. Tec. comfort those that are in affliction.

Titus 1:11

Whose mouthes must be stopped] Either by solid confuting their errours, or by suspension and Ecclesiasticall censures.

Titus 1:12

a Prophet of their own] Some will have this allegation to be taken out of Callimachus his hymne in praise of Jupiter; where the first part of this verse is found; but Callimachus was no Prophet of the Cretians: the Apostle therefore certainly meaneth Epimenides, who himself was a Cretian, whose Poem is called a Book of Oracles or Prophecies; among whom this whole Verse is found, viz. the Cretians are alwayes lyers, that is, craftie companions, false in their words and deeds, as the Latine Proverb, Cretizare cum Cretensibus, declareth: Evill beasts, that is, fierce, intractable, and dangerous to deal withall; and slow bellies, that is, given to sloth, and idlenesse, and luxurious gluttons. Which censure of the Cretians the Apostle here confirms, not to discredit those Islanders, or blast their reputation, but to discover the maladies of that people to him, whom he there left as a Physitian, to cure them by sound and wholesome doctrine.

Titus 1:13

sharply] Gr. cuttingly, touching them to the quick.

Titus 1:14

Not giving] See 1 Timothy 1:4.

commandements of men] The Apostle forbiddeth not simply to give heed to the commandements of men: for elswhere he requireth us to obey the lawfull commands of our superiours in Church and Common-wealth: but to the traditions of those of the circumcision, whom he taxeth, vers. 10. and generally of such men as walke not with a right foot to the Gospel; for it is not here said simply the commandements of men, but of such men as turne from the truth, and therefore we must turne from them.

Titus 1:15

Ʋnto the pure all things] See Romans 14:20. That is, all meats and other creatures of God. For the ceremoniall Law of Moses which made a distinction of clean and unclean meates being abrogated by the Gospel, the use of all those things is pure and holy to the faithfull, being themselves pure, that is, cleansed by the blood of Christ and sanctified by his Spirit: whereas on the contrary, the spirituall uncleannesse of unbeleevers maketh that the very things otherwise permitted by Moses, become unclean to them, Hag. 2. 13.

their mind and conscience i defiled] Impuritie and uncleannesse doth not consist in the outward abstinence from any meats, or the eating of them, but it lyeth within the soul of man, and the faculties of the same, which are all of them unclean and defiled with sinne in the unbeleevers. Those two parts of man which may seem most pure and free from sinne, viz. the minde, which retaineth yet some light of knowledg, and the conscience, that applyeth this light, to testifie, discern, and judge of mens actions good or evill, now by that inward and in-bred corruption of ignorance and perversnesse, is become impure to man, the former hindring the knowledge of the latter conformitie to the will of God: by the former he tempteth God, and by the other he offendeth and resisteth him so long as he continueth in his unregenerate estate.

Titus 1:16

reprobate] Or, void of judgement.