For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish
Nothing has a greater tendency to promote humility, and check
pride in the saints, than to reflect upon their past state and
condition, what they themselves once were; and this is a reason
why magistrates, though evil men, should be obeyed in things good
and lawful, and why no man should be spoken evil of, and why
every man should be treated in a gentle manner, and used with
mildness and meekness; since the apostle himself, and Titus, and
other saints, whom he designed this as an instruction for, were
formerly, in their unregenerate state, just such persons
themselves; and therefore should not glory over them, and treat
them in a contemptuous manner: and besides, the same grace that
had made a difference in them, could make one in these also, and
which might be made in God's own time: and particularly, whereas
they observed great ignorance in these men, they should consider
that they also had been "foolish", and without understanding of
things, divine and spiritual, and neither knew their own state
and condition, nor the way of salvation by Christ; yea, the
apostle himself, though he had a zeal for God, yet not according
to knowledge; he did not know lust, nor the exceeding sinfulness
of sin, until he was enlightened by the Spirit of God; he was
ignorant of the righteousness of God, and went about to establish
his own, which he imagined to be blameless; and thought he ought
to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus:
disobedient;
both to the law of God, and Gospel of Christ; disbelieving the
truths of the Gospel, and not subjected to the ordinances of it,
notwithstanding the evidence with which they came, and the
miracles by which they were confirmed.
Deceived;
by the old serpent Satan, who deceives the whole world; and by an
evil heart of unbelief, as well as by false teachers and leaders;
and so, as the word signifies, were wandering about in darkness
and ignorance, and were as sheep going astray, until they were
returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of souls.
Serving divers lusts and pleasures;
the lusts of the flesh are many and various, which promise
pleasure to them that obey them, though that is but imaginary,
and very short lived, and which subjects persons to bondage and
slavery; for such who indulge to these things, are overcome by
them, led captive, and brought into bondage, and are the servants
of sin, vassals and slaves to their own corruptions; and such
these saints had been, here spoken of:
living in malice and envy;
they had not only malice and envy in their hearts against their
fellow creatures, but practised it in their lives; yea, their
lives were a continued series of malice and envy; particularly
this was true of the apostle, who haled men and women out of
their houses, and committed them to prison; breathed out
slaughter and threatenings against the saints; was exceedingly
mad against them, persecuted them to strange cities, and
compelled them to blaspheme, and gave his vote for punishing them
with death.
Hateful, and hating one another;
abominable in the sight of God, as considered in themselves, and
on account of their nature and practices; and to be abhorred by
all good men; and who, by their continual feuds, quarrels, and
animosities among themselves, showed an hatred, an abhorrence of
one another.