This is my body.—The found of bæreticum devita, in a Latin verfion of Tit. iii. 10. has authorized the most barbarous murders of thousands, who have been burned alive by the inquifition, under the denomination of heretics. It has been made to fignify hæreticum de vitá―an heretic from life; that isput him from life-kill him.-Thus, by feparating the word devita, and turning the laft two fyllables into the fubftantive vita, the prepofition de juft answered the purpose. A lefs tragical confequence of this method of interpretation is related by Erafmus. He tells of a friar preaching from those words of CHRIST, Luke xvii. 17. which stand in some Latin verfions-Nonne decem facti funt * mundi -who began to prove there are ten worlds. An arch fellow ftanding by, stopped his mouth with the following words-Sed ubi funt novem ?-But where are the nine?

It is faid of St. Francis, that from the words, Go you into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature, he thought himself bound to preach to beafts and birds, and accordingly did it very often, and with wonderful fuccefs, as they tell us in the legend of his life. Perhaps it was much on a like principle that St. Anthony of Padua went and preached to the fishes-whofe discourse to them may be found in Broughton Hift. Lib. vol. i. p. 53.

* I would just acquaint the unlearned reader, that the fubftantive mundus fignifies a world-the adjective mun · dus fignifies clean.

VOL. I.

Dr. Hammond, in his note on 1 Tim. iii. 2. fays" What is the meaning of μias yuvamès "avip-the husband of one wife-both here "and ver. 12, and Tit. i. 6. and of ivòs av

νομαι

Spos yuv-the wife of one husband-chap. "v. 9. will not eafily be refolved." But furely all difficulty vanishes, when the whole is taken together; and it is obferved from the original in what different tenfes the verbs yvouaι and u are ufed. This fhews that the apoftle, 1 Tim. iii. 2, and Tit. i. 6. was defcribing the fituation of the men he was then speaking of, as what it then was-and in 1 Tim. v. 9. that of the widows, as to what it had been. 1 Tim. iii. 2. Δει εν τὸν Ἐπίσκο πον ΕΙΝΑΙ μιᾶς γυναικὸς Ανδρα—Α Bihop ought to BE (not to HAVE BEEN) the husband of one wife; and Tit. i. 6. Εί τις ΕΣΤῚΝ μιας γυναι nos-if any BE (IS) the husband of one wife. "Es being of the prefent tenfe, can fignify only what a man is at the time spoken of: whereas the expreffion concerning the women, 1 Tim. v. 9. is widely different. The woman is called Xnpa, a widow; and it is observable, that the verb is not expreffed as before, either in the infinitive or indicative mood of "Eu, to be, but by the participle of the præteritum, or past time, of the verb yivoMai, to be or become.—It is yeyovula--which we have rightly rendered-having been—that is— in time past having been, or become the wife of one man-a widow, who never had been but once married; not-that had not had twa busbands at a time; fuch a thing was hardly

10

ever

ever heard of, as lawful, even amongst the heathens themselves. I would therefore harmonize and paraphrase the whole as follows:-" Forafmuch as all things are to be "done decently and in order, (1 Cor. xiv. 40.) but this cannot be, unlefs fome proper "form of government be established; it is neceffary that proper officers be appointed to adminifter that government. Some who "are to be-'EπionоTo-overfeers of the "whole; others Adxovo-deacons, or infe"rior ferving minifters under them. The "first order of men are to overlook the clergy,

as well as the laity-to preach the word"administer the facraments, and to have power to cenfure evil doers, even as far as "excommunication, the church agreeing there"to. 1 Cor. v. 4, 5. Such an office should, doubtlefs, be filled with men of irreproachable characters, and of fuch con"duct and difpofitions as to be in all respects blameless, not only for the better maintenance of their authority, but also for the

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once.

* Never among Jews, or even Turks, was it permitted that the woman fhould have more than one husband at Only among the barbarians there is mention of the Пoλvardpor, a people fo called, because the wife among them had many husbands. So among the Medes, that dwelt in the mountains, it is faid a woman was married to five husbands at once. See Hammond on 1 Tim. iii. 2. Montefquieu mentions the tribe of the Naires, on the coaft of Malabar, where the women have many hufbands. Sp. of Laws, vol. i. p. 374, octavo. But all this is as contrary to nature itself, as the cuftom of fome of the Indian women's drowning their children in the Ganges, or expofing them to wild beafts to be devoured. " influence

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"influence of their example. As fuch an "office must moreover require great atten"tion, those should be chofen, who are en"tangled as little as poffible in the affairs of "this life. 2 Tim. ii. 4. Therefore, though "for this reason fingle men might in general "anfwer the purpose beft, (1 Cor. vii. 33.) "yet it may be expedient, in fome inftances, "to chufe married men into the offices of

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Bishops and Deacons. Where this is the "cafe, the election fhould not be made of "fuch of the Chriftians as have more than one wife, as fuch a fituation must necessa"rily involve the perfon in more worldly

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care, than can be confiftent with a due at"tention to that care, which must come upon "them daily, refpecting the church. Therefore, the having more than one wife should

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always be confidered as a bar to a man's "election, either to the office of a Bishop or of a Deacon, (1 Tim. iii. 12.); for though these "laft may not have fo extenfive a jurisdiction, yet, what with preaching the word-affisting the Bishops and elders-vifiting the "fick-and diftributing the church's alms to "the poor-one wife and family is as much as can be at all confidered confiftent with any tolerable diligence in the duties of a "Deacon's office.

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66.

"But as the fick are to be vifited and attended, as well as the poor relieved, it may be neceffary alfo to appoint women for "these purposes, efpecially as to attending and nurfing the poor of their own fex. "These

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Thefe may require many offices highly ἐσ improper for men for men to be engaged in "though the nurfing fick men, or visiting and

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relieving them, may very properly fall also "under the care of women. Thefe women. σε may alfo be called Διάκονοι τῆς ἐκκλησίας (fee "Rom. xvi. 1.) fervants or minifters of the "church. Those who are to be deemed * proper for thefe offices, muft not be young, raw, unexperienced girls; nor "married women, whofe attention belongs to "their husbands and families, 1 Cor. vii. 34; ແ nor the younger widows, who are not arrived "at a time of life suitable to fuch employments, i Tim. v. 11: let these marry, to "keep themselves out of mischief, ver. 12, 13, 14. The only women who are fit to "be chofen as fervants or minifters of the "church in the refpects above mentioned, "should be far advanced in years; that is to "fay, not lefs than threefcore years old, who having buried their husbands and brought up their children, 1 Tim. v. 10. have time, as well as inclination, to devote themselves ík to the offices of the church. They should

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also be fober and difcreet perfons, who, by "their conduct in their younger years, have "fhewn their temperance and fobriety, by

having contented themselves with one buf"band, and who, ever after the death of that "hufband, have fecluded themselves from any further worldly engagements of that "fort, fo as to be justly styled widows indeed; though defolate, yet trusting in GOD (1 Tim.

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v. 5.)