If, with Dr. Paley, we place during this period of liberty the first epistle to Timothy, it will appear that Paul did go to the east, and to the neighbourhood of Ephesus, if not into that city, where Timothy was left while Paul went into Macedonia. The principal arguments for the earlier date, A. D. 58, assigned to the epistle are, 1st,―That when Paul wrote it Timothy was a young man. 2,-It is observed that the state of things in the Ephesian church in 58 better suits the contents of the epistle than in 65. 3,-Paul at his interview with the elders at Miletus said, "I know that ye all shall see my face no more." In reply to the first argument we may observe, that among the Romans a man was called young till the age of 45, and among the Jews, though a priest could commence the duties of his office at 30, we find men called young "that were grown up with" one then more than 40.1 To enter fully into the second argument would require, as observed before, too lengthened a discussion, but we recommend the readers to go carefully through the address of Paul to the Ephesian elders, A. D. 58, the epistle to the Ephesians, A. D. 62, and 1 Timothy, and judge for himself what weight attaches to this argument. As to the third argument, we reply that we learn from the epistle to the Philippians,' Paul hoped to see them, and from that to Philemon that he expected to visit him. We may suppose that if he went to Colosse, intending to pass into Macedonia, he would not willingly forego visiting the Ephesians. If indeed Paul did again see those Ephesian elders from whom he parted at Miletus, we must suppose his declaration, as to their seeing him no more, to have been not an inspired prophecy, but an expression of his own firm persuasion. It is not clear that he was in Ephesus when he besought Timothy to remain there, but whether he was then or not, we find he hoped to come to Timothy shortly. The epistle to Titus was written to him when in Crete, where the apostle had left him, but whether during the interval between his first imprisonment and second apprehension is not certain. If Paul's voyage to Crete took place between his first missionary journey and his going to the council at Jerusalem, and be one of the events omitted by Luke, which supposition however seems not a likely one, then the epistle to Titus must be placed before the first to the Thessalonians. Dr. Lardner, (1) 1 Kings, xii. 8, 10; xiv. 21. who notices the similarity between the first epistle to Timothy and the one to Titus, places them near together; but thinking as he does, that they were written between Paul's leaving Ephesus, and his second visit to Greece, he has to suppose, besides other omissions, the omission of the narrative of Paul's voyage to Crete. But to suppose so many omissions is sufficiently forced. The similarity of the two epistles and the absence of any account in the Acts, in which we can find them room, favor placing them both after Paul's liberation. We have but little record that can be relied on of the movements of the great apostle after the sacred narrative leaves us. It is said that he returned to Rome and there suffered martyrdom. It is supposed that the second epistle to Timothy was written during imprisonment, preceding the glorious close of his eventful and beneficent career. He is said to have been beheaded at a place called Aquæ Salviæ, (Salvian Waters) three miles from Rome, and to have been buried on the Via Ostensis, (Ostian road) two miles from Rome. The exact year of his death is not known; but it may be reckoned to have been about the year 66. The emperor Constantine erected, at the reputed place of his burial, a church to his memory, which was repaired and beautified in subsequent reigns. "But," in the words of Dr. Doddridge, "his most glorious monument remains in his immortal writings." CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE. Paul, then a young man, present at the martyrdom of Stephen Sets out for Damascus Returns to Jerusalem Goes to Tarsus Is brought by Barnabas to Antioch Goes with Barnabas to Jerusalem Cir. A. D. 35 35 38 38 42 43 45 Sets out, with Barnabas, from Antioch, on first Missionary Visits Jerusalem, with the same companion, concerning Commences his second Missionary Journey, with Silas Writes, from Corinth, the two epistles to the Thessalonians, Sets out on his third Missionary Journey Writes, from Ephesus, the first Epistle to the Corinthians ians Writes, from Greece, to the Romans Arrives at Jerusalem, and is taken into custody Writes, during his imprisonment, to the Ephesians, Philip pians, Colossians, and to Philemon Was, probably, set at liberty 63 Supposed to have written to the Hebrews, first epistle to Timothy, and to Titus Again in custody 66 Supposed to have written the second epistle to Timothy . 66 D. G. CHARACTERISTICS OF CHRIST'S PREACHING. NO. III. Another leading characteristic of our Saviour's preaching was its directness. It is possible that pulpit discourse should fail in this point, even when in some good degree spiritual and simple. We mean by directness, such a manner of exhibiting truth, as makes the audience feel that they themselves are concerned in it. It is quite possible so to present human depravity, that even the attentive hearer shall hardly be reminded that he is depraved; so to insist on penitence, that he shall hardly once think of it as a duty which he should perform. You may so speak of “the sinner," or of "sinners,” that you shall scarcely be suspected of the slightest reference to the persons present. And though your teaching be orthodox, and your announcements of coming wrath distinct and emphatic, every heart before you may be as quiet as if your discourse had related to the dwellers in some other planet. It was eminently otherwise with Christ. He always made his hearers feel, not only that his speech was to them, but that they were interested in the truths he uttered. He CHARACTERISTICS OF CHRIST'S PREACHING. 155 not only declared to Nicodemus the general doctrine of the new birth, but he said also, "Ye must be born again." "Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things ?" To one who was curious to learn whether few or many would be saved, he said, "Strive to enter in at the strait gate;" thus reminding him that it should be his main object to secure his own salvation. In addressing the Scribes and Pharisees, his application of truth was often most pungent and terrible. "Wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in." "Wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness." As on a certain occasion he was uttering reproofs like these, one of the lawyers said to him, "Master, thus saying thou reproachest us also." But so far from retracting or qualifying what he had uttered, our Lord promptly replied, "Wo unto you, also, ye lawyers!" It is said, in a certain place, that "when the chief priests and Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them." He so shaped his discourse on a particular occasion, that "they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last." And the testimony of the woman of Samaria was, "Come, see a man which told me all the things that ever I did." In all this he exhibited great fearlessness. For he knew full well it would give offence to many, and provoke, at times, the most violent opposition. And such, doubtless, to some extent, will be the result of a similar strain of preaching at the present day. It will be unhesitatingly adopted, however, by the wise and faithful minister. He can hope, otherwise, for but little success. A general statement of truth—a statement of it as relating to the world at large-the deceitful and selfflattering heart will be likely to disregard. It is only as "thou art the man," rings in the perishing sinner's ear, that preaching does its perfect work. We are not, indeed, at liberty, as we have before remarked, to adopt the air of majesty, or the tone of awful severity, which sometimes marked our Lord's discourses. But our speech may, like his, abound in the second, rather than the third person. We may rest not till each hearer feels that he is intended. And as subservient to such a result, we should beware, as our Lord did, of needlessly qualifying truth. How broadly and boldly did he state it-in what paradoxes sometimes! "I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I if it be already kindled?" "I came not to send peace, but a sword.” How unlike was his manner in this respect to a certain cautious and circumlocutory way of preaching. It is quite possible to utter the great verities of the gospel, with such qualifications, exceptions, limitations, provisos, and reserves, that though they may still retain in some sense their identity, they not only lose much of their appropriate force and beauty, but what is specially to be deplored, their application to individual cases is much less likely to be felt. The excellence of our Lord's preaching is further manifest as we advert to its symmetry. By this we intend, generally, that everything pertaining to his discourses was in due proportion. There was, in his ministry, no improper magnifying of any one doctrine or duty, no exclusive dwelling on any one topic. Nor was any one class of hearers regarded to the overlooking of others. He rightly divided the word, giving to every one a portion in due season. It would be a pleasant and edifying work, to review our Lord's discourses with reference either to the variety of topics presented, and the symmetrical development of each, or to the varieties of character and condition to which his instructions had appropriate reference. We shall confine ourselves, however, to another and somewhat less obvious view. Our Lord's preaching may be regarded as of perfect symmetry, in respect to its wise adaptation to the whole nature of man, its due regard to all the departments of his complex being. Considered as the subject of pulpit ministrations, he may be described as made up of intellect, conscience, and heart. And preaching may be characterized from its bearing on these several parts of his compound nature. It is not affirmed, of course, that it is possible to address human beings on religious subjects without appealing, more or less, to all these conjoined capacities. But it is quite possible—as facts have abundantly shown-to give some one of them disproportionate attention. There are those who preach chiefly to the intellect, to the comparative |