reference `denying ungodliness' (Titus 2:12).  It will be seen that this word

`deny' has to

do with practice, with works, as something contrary to `profession' and in

the passage under consideration, the apostle turns from ungodliness to godly

living, with the great objective before the eye of faith `The glorious

Appearing'.  Many rules for godly living have been devised and found wanting,

`the love of His appearing' has powers beyond the reach of any rules or vows

devised by man.  (See also 2 Tim. 4:8 -10).

The idea of adorning the truth is found both in the first epistle to

Timothy and in this epistle to Titus.

`In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel ...

(which becometh women professing godliness) with good works' (1 Tim.

`Not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the

doctrine of God our Saviour in all things' (Titus 2:10).

The Greek word translated `adorn' is kosmeo, but we must take account

also of the word `modest' for that in the original is kosmios.  In Titus

2:12, those who were exhorted to adorn the doctrine were also exhorted to

deny `worldly' lusts, where the original word for worldly is kosmikos.  Peter

gives a similar exhortation saying to the believing women whose husbands were

not at the time believers:

`Whose adorning (kosmos) let it not be that outward adorning of

plaiting the hair ... the holy women ... adorned themselves' (1 Pet.

Every reader will recognize the word usually translated `world' in the

Greek word kosmos, and will see that the words `adorn', `adorning' and

`worldly' are likewise derived from the same Greek root.  Pythagoras, a

philosopher, who was born 582 b.c., like other philosophers attempted a

scientific explanation of the universe, and found the arche or first

principle in number.  He taught that number determined the harmonies of

music, the proportions of architecture, and the movements of the planets.  He

was the discoverer of the musical octave, and the proof of the 47th

proposition of Euclid is attributed to him.

We have said this much of Pythagoras because he `was the first who

called the system of the universe kosmos, from the order observable in it'

(Plutarch).  The Latins imitated the Greeks in this, saying, `what the Greeks

called kosmos by a name denoting ornament, we, from its perfect or complete

elegance, denominate mundus' (Pliny).  The term kosmos was in current use

therefore long before the LXX adopted it, and applied it, not only to the

world of man, but to the universe.

However far man has fallen from original innocency, the image of God is

still discernible (Jas. 3:9), and however far the world may have become

estranged from its Maker by sin and death, it is still called the kosmos `the

ornament' carrying as it were a pledge of its future restoration in its name.

Closely allied with the word kosmos and kosmeo in the passages quoted above

from Timothy and Titus, is the word tasso and its derivatives, a word which

means `to set in order'.  So after the advice given in 1 Timothy 2:9,10 the

apostle extends the thought of this adorning by the word `subjection' (1 Tim.