The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1880-02-11
For the Central Presbyterian.
TIMOTHY
His Regeneration, Early Training, and
their Suggestions.

No. 2.
Evidently Timothy, and Eunjce. and
Lois, if she had not died before Paul s
first missionary tour and without having
seheld the light of the new dispensation
at all, first passed from the gospel of pro-
Phecy through which the patriarchs we're
saved to the gospel of history, to which
faith in the former looked forward, under
Pauls preaching when he first visited
Iconium and Lystra and Derbe, in one of
which cities the family resided 1t is not
determined in which, or at least not
which Of the latter two This first visit
is put by the latest authority seven years
eefore the second, that which is mention
ed IN Acts xvi. But was Timothy's &C
eeptance Of the facts of the gospel, con-
version, IN the sense of a radical change
o. heart, or, was he new creature as
really as Abraham or David ever was,
before he ever saw Paul, or heard that
the word was made flesh and dwelt
amongst us. Pauls instruction may
have only given a new direction and ex-
erclse to the same old faith, which existed
IN Timothy and his mother and grand
mother, before they heard him preach
They may have been exercising the same
saving faith that Abraham, who is called
the father of all who believe, exercised :;
and Paul may have only given it the
facts of Christianity in addition to, and
IN fulfllment Of the law and-the prophets.
to exercise itself upon Paul calls him
his own son in the faith, but this does
not necessarily imply more than that
Paul had first instructed him in the
knowledge of the New Testament. There
Is one utterance of Paul, which at least
suggests the thought, that Timothy's re-
generation may have antedated the dawn
Of his reason, and that accordingly he
may have begun to love the God of Israel
as soon as he began to know Him. We
allude to these remarkable words when
| call to remembrance the unfeigned faith
that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy
grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eu-
nice and | am persuaded that in thee
also" If a man were bent upon proving
that grace ran in the blood like physical
Peculiarities, he would rely upon this
text, and perhaps if it were taken alone.
and not interpreted in the light of other
Scriptures it would give him countenance.
But we know that no man inherits grace
or the principle Of faith from a parent
as he might the color of his hair. But
the passage does imply that the faith Of
the parent was in some way the means,
and in this sense the parent, of the prin-
ciple of faith in the child, and we can
think Of no way which so well meets the
requirements of the words, as that of faith
operating in prayer, and obtaining for
the child, in infancy, the indweling of
the spirit Of Jesus Christ. The apostle,
It seems to us, regards his young friend
zs born Of godliness, nurtured and trained
by godliness, and INDUCES certain
pleasant conviction, that his present, full
developed faith in Jesus Christ was a
seed somehow planted in him by the be-
lieving motherhoods Of the past, and be-
gan to live and grow in him. thus, long
before he knew it himself, or others OBJ
served it in him" Anyhow, our sub
Ject suggest the pleasant doctrine, that
little infants, whether appointed to die in
infancy or not, are capable subjects of
divine grace. The ordinance of circum-
cision taught this under the old dispen-
sation, and that Of baptism, which is in
essence the same as the former, continues
TO teach it under the new. The angel