\\INTRODUCTION TO I TIMOTHY 5\\

In this chapter the apostle lays down rules about the manner of
rebuking persons, suitable to their several ages; gives directions
concerning widows, both old and young; and instructs Timothy how to
behave towards elders in office on different accounts. The rules for
giving reproof to old men, as fathers; to young men, as brethren; to
elder women, as mothers; and to the younger, as sisters, are in
\\#1Ti 5:1,2\\. Next follow the directions about taking care of
widows, who are to be honoured and maintained by the church, that
are widows indeed, \\#1Ti 5:3\\ not such who have relations that are
capable of taking care of them, who ought to do it, and not burden
the church; since so to do is an act of piety, a requiting parents
for their former care and kindness, and is good and acceptable in
the sight of God, \\#1Ti 5:4\\ but such who are desolate and alone, and
have no husbands nor children, nor any to support their wants, but
wholly depend on the providence of God, and are constant at the
throne of grace crying for help and relief, which shows they are
living Christians; whereas such who spend their time in sinful lusts
and pleasures, are dead while they live; wherefore if members of
churches, with respect to this business, would be blameless, they
ought to take care of the former, and reprove the latter,
\\#1Ti 5:5-7\\. And as for those persons who cast their poor widows
upon the church, and will not provide for them, when they are able,
they are to be looked upon as deniers of the faith, and to be worse
than the Heathens themselves, \\#1Ti 5:8\\. The qualifications of
widows to be taken care of by the church, besides those before
mentioned, are, that they be sixty years of age, having been the wife
of one man, and well known for their good works, some of which are
particularly mentioned, \\#1Ti 5:9,10\\ but those who are under the
age fixed, and especially are fit for marriage, and the procreation of
children, should be rejected, because of their lasciviousness, idleness,
tattling, and busying themselves about other people's matters;
these, on the contrary, should be directed to marry, bear children,
take care of household affairs, and give no occasion to the enemy to
reproach and blaspheme; and the rather such advice should be taken,
since there had been some sad instances of apostasy in such persons,
\\#1Ti 5:11-15\\. And then the apostle repeats his order to
believers, to take care of their poor widows, who were able to do it
themselves, that so the church might not be burdened, and might be
able to relieve such as were real and proper objects, \\#1Ti 5:16\\.
And then follow rules with respect to elders in office, as that those
that rule well, and labour in the ministry of the word, should be
honourably maintained; which is confirmed by a passage of Scripture
in the Old Testament, and by a saying of Christ's in the New,
\\#1Ti 5:17,18\\, that an accusation should not be received against
one of such a character, but by two or three witnesses, \\#1Ti 5:19\\
and that such of them that fell into any notorious sin should be
publicly rebuked, in order to make others afraid to sin, \\#1Ti 5:20\\.
And these things the apostle, in the most solemn manner, charges
Timothy, in the sight of God, Christ, and the angels, to observe,
without partiality, \\#1Ti 5:21\\. To which he adds, that he would not
have him be hastily concerned in the ordination of anyone as an elder,
lest he should involve himself in his sin, whereas by acting otherwise he
would be free, \\#1Ti 5:22\\ and then inserts some advice to himself, to
take care of his health, \\#1Ti 5:23\\ and concludes the chapter with
observing, on occasion of what he had said, \\#1Ti 5:22\\ that some
men's sins were open, and their characters were easily discerned, and
others were private, and such were also the good works of others;
which made the case either more easy or more difficult to determine
what was to be done; and therefore nothing should be done suddenly
and rashly, \\#1Ti 5:24,25\\.

in office, but in age; for elders by office are afterwards spoken of,
and particular rules concerning them are given, \\#1Ti 5:17,19\\.
Besides, an elder is here opposed, not to a private member of a
church, but to young men in age; and the apostle is here giving rules
to be observed in rebuking members of churches, according to their
different age and sex, and not according to their office and station;
and this sense is confirmed by a parallel text in \\#Tit 2:2-6\\. Now
an ancient man, a member of a church, is not to be rebuked in a sharp
and severe way; the word here used signifies to smite or strike; and
so the Arabic version renders it, "do not strike an elder"; meaning
not with the hand, but with the tongue, giving hard words, which are
as heavy blows; reproof is a smiting, and there is a gentle and a
sharp one, \\#Ps 141:4 Tit 1:13\\. It is with the former, and not the
latter, that man in years is to be reproved, when he is in a fault,
whether with respect to doctrine or practice, as such persons may be
as well as younger ones; and when they are observed to err, they
should not be roughly and sharply dealt with:

\\but entreat him as a father\\; as a child should entreat a father,
when he is going out of the way; give him honour and respect, fear
and reverence, and persuade him to desist; entreat and beseech him
to return to the right path of truth and holiness; use him as a
father in Christ, that has known him that is from the beginning, and
as of long standing in the church: this must be understood of lesser
crimes, and not of atrocious and flagitious ones, obstinately
continued in, to the great scandal of religion, and dishonour of the
Gospel; for then severer methods must be used; see \\#Isa 45:20\\. But
though this is the sense of the passage, yet the argument from hence
is strong, that if an elder in years, a private member, who is
ancient, and in a fault, is not to be roughly used, but gently
entreated, then much more an elder in office.

\\And the younger men as brethren\\; the Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic
versions read, "as thy brethren". Timothy was a young man himself;
and as he was to consider an elderly man as his father, and use him
accordingly; so he was to consider young men as equal with him, at
least in age, and take the more freedom with them, in reproving them
for their faults, and use somewhat more authority with them; and yet
consider them as brethren in Christ, and reprove them in a brotherly
way, and with brotherly love.
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