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may he through the blessings procured by the blood whereby the new covenant, which is never to be changed, was ratified,

21 Prepare you for every good work, to do what he has commanded, producing in you every disposition acceptable in his sight, through the doctrine and assistance of Jesus Christ, to whom be ascribed the glory of our salvation, for ever and ever. Amen.

22 Now, fearing ye may be prejudiced against me, I beseech you brethren, take in good part the instructions I have given you concerning the law and the Levitical institutions, and judge candidly of them; the rather, because I have written to you but briefly concerning these subjects, considering their importance.

23 Know that my much respected brother Timothy is sent away by me into Macedonia, with whom, if he come back soon, I will pay you a visit. For I have ordered him to return to this place.

what follows, the meaning is, may God make you perfect in every good work, through the assistance of his Spirit promised in the everlasting covenant.—Now seeing these senses are all good, any of them may be adopted, as it is uncertain which of them was intended by the apostle.

Ver. 21.-1. Make you fit. So xaraprio, signifies. See Heb. xi. 3. note 2. Estius explains the word thus: Perficere non quomodocunque, sed apta dispositione partium. See Heb. x. 5.

2. Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Here eternal glory is ascribed to Christ, as it is likewise, 2 Pet. iii. 18. Rev. v. 12, 13.

Ver. 23.-1. Timothy is sent away. The word awx, may either be translated, is set at liberty, or is sent away on some errand, Matth. xiv. 15. amphusor Toc oxas, Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages, &c. Euthalius among the ancients, and Mill, who is followed by Lardner, among the moderns, understand the word in the latter signification; first because it appears from Philip. ii. 19.-24. that Paul, about this time, purposed to send Timothy into Macedonia, with an order to return and bring him an account of the affairs of the brethren in that country; se39

VOL. V.

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condly, because in none of Paul's epistles, written during his confinement in Rome, does he give the least intimation of Timothy's having been imprisoned, although he was with Paul the greatest part of the time, Philip. i. 1. Col. i. 1. Philem. ver. 1.

2. I will see you. From this it is evident, that the apostle, when he wrote this epistle, was set at liberty.

Ver. 24.1. They of Italy salute you. The salutations from the Christians of Italy, shew, that the writer of this letter, was either in Italy, or had

24 Salute all your rulers, (see ver. 7. 17.) and all the saints. They of Italy salute you.1

25 Grace BE with you all. Amen.

24 In my name, wish health to all your spiritual guides, and to all the Christians in Judea. The Christians of Italy, in token of their communion with you, wish you health.

25 May the favour of God, and the assistance of his Spirit, be with you all. And in testimony of my sincerity in this wish, and in all the doctrines delivered in this letter, I say, Amen.

some of the brethren of Italy with him when he wrote it: which agrees with the supposition, that Paul was the author of it. For he had been two years a prisoner at Rome, but had now obtained his liberty, ver. 23. by means, as is supposed, of the persons he had converted in the emperor's family, Philip. iv. 22.

EPILOGUE

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ST. PAUL'S EPISTLES.

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HAVING now finished the translation and explanation of all the apostle Paul's epistles, I presume my readers will not be displeased with me for transcribing a passage from the conclusion of Archd. Paley's Hora Paulinæ, where, after giving a short but comprehensive view of the evidences, by which the authenticity of St. Paul's epistles is established beyond all possibility of doubt, he thus proceeds: "If it be true that we are in pos"session of the very letters which St. Paul wrote, let us con"sider what confirmation they afford to the Christian history. "In my opinion, they substantiate the whole transaction. The great object of modern research is to come at the epistolary correspondence of the times. Amidst the obscurities, the si"ience, or the contradictions of history, if a letter can be found, "we regard it as the discovery of a Land-mark; as that by which "we can correct, adjust or supply the imperfections and uncer"tainties of other accounts. One cause of the superior credit "which is attributed to letters is this, that the facts which they "disclose generally come out incidentally, and therefore without "design to mislead the public by false or exaggerated accounts. "This reason may be applied to St. Paul's epistles with as much "justice as to any letters whatever. Nothing could be farther "from the intention of the writer than to record any part of his "history. That his history was in fact made public by these "letters, and has by the same means been transmitted to future "ages, is a secondary and unthought of effect. The sincerity, "therefore, of the apostle's declarations, cannot reasonably be "disputed; at least we are sure that it was not vitiated by any "desire of setting himself off to the public at large. But these

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