Commentarii in Epistolas D. Pauli ad Timoth. ad Titum, et ad Philem. facili et perspicua methodo conscripti. A D. Benedicto Aretio bernensi theologo. Cum indice rerum memorabilium quae in hisce conti

all the more inflamed and excited with the desire to retain them; and it was also a testimony of love not to be despised, for friends are accustomed to willingly acknowledge virtues in their friends and to highly esteem them.

Prayer.

The third place of the greeting, containing a prayer. Furthermore, he prays for three things due to the custom hitherto used in the previous epistles, perhaps excited by the vehemence of love towards Timothy; and all three are sustaining gifts of God in Timothy, and such that without them he could not usefully fulfill his duty in the Ephesian Church.

1. Grace.

Χάρις Grace is the spontaneous benevolence of God embracing us when we merit nothing of the kind. The reason is that they are said to do things freely when they are not asked, not for the sake of any thing, or so that those who are doing it might benefit themselves, but only for the one to whom they are doing it; and therefore the benevolence is spontaneous, otherwise grace would not be grace.

2. Mercy.

Ἔλεος Mercy is compassion. Among the Hebrews, Chéseds Loving-kindness and Rachem Compassion/Mercy, is commiseration, a pain at the evil of another, because it seems that the evil could reach us as well. Indeed, philosophers define it thus, but not quite fittingly for this place. For the evil of the human race was nothing to God; that is, it could not reach Him in such a way as to harm Him. But the whole force of the corrupting evil was poured out into the destruction of man alone. Meanwhile, God was touched by a sense of commiseration