pretended to be a teacher of the law. This falfe teacher he at the fame time rebukes for the innovation of reading the law, with his face covered. Further, he fhews that the fufferings, which accompany the Gofpel, are no difgrace either to the Gospel or its minifters, and gives a thort abitract of the doctrine, which he preaches, ch. ii. 14.

-V. 21.

5. He fhews that it is his office not only to preach redemption by Chrift, but likewife to inculcate certain duties, especially that of renouncing idolatry, which duty he enforces against thofe, who attended the idol feftivals, ch. vi, 1—vii. 1.

6. He endeavours again to win the confidence of the Corinthians, by telling them how kindly he was affectioned towards them, and how greatly he rejoiced at their amendment, ch. vii. 2—16.

7. He exhorts them to a liberal collection for the Chriftians in Judæa.

8. He vindicates himself against thofe, who contended that there was not fufficient proof of his divine miffion, and who imputed his caution at Corinth to the consciousness of not being a true Apostle, ch. x-xiii.

CHAP. XV.

OF THE FIRST EPISTLE TO TIMOTHY.

SECT. I.

Of the time, when St. Paul wrote his firft Epistle to

Timothy.

BOUT the fame time that St. Paul wrote his fecond A Epiftie to the Corinthians, or rather a fhort time before it, he wrote his firft Epiftle to Timothy, as Benfon has very clearly fhewn in his Prolegomena to this Epif

tle, to which opinion Lardner likewife upon the whole accedes. Other critics maintain, that it was written about the year of Chrift 65, after St. Paul had been difcharged from his first imprisonment in Rome, and again vifited the church of Ephefus. This opinion, which is patronifed by Pearfon, le Clerc, Mill, and others, who grounded it merely on an induction made from the common Greek fubfcription to this Epistle, is not very eafy to be reconciled with the notion of St. Paul's infallibility or his divine inspiration for when he took leave of the elders at Ephefus in the year 58, he affured them that they would fee his face no more. Now it is hardly credible that all the Elders at Ephefus died within the space of five, or even feven years: and we know from 1 Tim. i. 3. that when St. Paul wrote to Timothy, he had left him at Ephefus only a short time before.

The principal arguments, by which Dr. Benfon has proved his position, are the following.

1. It appears plainly from the third chapter of this Epiftle, that no bifhops had been then appointed at Ephefus. St. Paul inftructs Timothy in the choice of perfons

* Προς Τιμόθεον πρώτη εγραφη απο Λαοδίκειας, ητις εσι μητροπολις Φρυγίας της Πακατιανης. Now were it true, that this Epifle was written at Laodicea, it was certainly written after the expiration of St. Paul's imprisonment: for before that time he had never been at Laodicea, as appears from Coloff. ii. 1. But this fubfcription is undoubtedly erroneous: for when St. Paul wrote his firft Epistle to Timothy, he had lately left Ephefus, and was gone, not into Phrygia, but into Macedonia, as the Apoftle himself fays, 1 Tim. i. 3. Wetstein has quoted other fubfcriptions, in which different, and more probable places are affigned. For inftance, the fubfcription in one of Stephens's MSS. has Macedonia, and that in the Coptic verfion, to which may be added the Arabic verfion published by Erpenius, has Athens.

z In the first edition I reprefented it as wholly irreconcileable, which I here change into a more moderate expreffion, because it may be objected that Acts xx. 25. (Ye all shall fee my face no more') is capable of being interpreted in fuch a manner, as to denote that St. Paul would not fee all the Elders at Ephefus again affembled together, not that he would fee none of them again.

• A&ts xx. 25.

perions to be appointed to that office, and expreffes his defire and intention of foon returning to Ephefus. Now he could not have in view an office, which had been already filled, and was then vacant: and, as it was the ufual practice of the Apoftles, when they had eftablished a Chriftian community, to wait till they were acquainted with the conduct of its feveral members, before they felected perfons to be bishops, it feems as if none had been appointed at Ephefus, when St. Paul first wrote to Timothy. But it is not probable, that he left the Chriftian community at Ephefus for a long time without governors. Now he departed from Ephesus, when he travelled into Macedonia and Greece, as appears from Acts xx. 1.: and we fee from ver. 17-28. that on his return to Ephesus bishops had been already appointed. Contequently this Epiftle must have been written on his journey, and even at the beginning of it: for Timothy left Ephefus not long after St. Paul, as appears from Acts xx. 4. where we find him at Corinth in company with St. Paul, when the Apoftle left that city to go again to Ephefus. In fact Timothy must have come ftill earlier to St. Paul, when he was travelling through Macedonia to Corinth: for the fecond Epiftle to the Corinthians, which was written in Macedonia, was fent in the joint names of Paul and Timothy. The first Epiftle to Timothy therefore was written, as I obferved at the beginning of this fection, a fhort time. before the fecond Epiftle to the Corinthians.

2. Timothy, when St. Paul wrote to him his first Epiftle, was in danger of being defpifed on account of his youth. But he became an affociate of St. Paul at Lyftra, so early as the year 50, according to the common calculation, and perhaps according to a more exact calculation, fill earlier. Now when he was chofen by St. Paul, as an affiftant in the propagation of the Gospel, the least age, which we can afcribe to him is that of twenty. Confequently, if the first Epistle to him was written

written fo late as the year 65, he was not only at least thirty-five years of age, but had been a preacher of the Gofpel not less than fifteen years. Under thefe circumftances he could have been in no danger of being defpifed on account of his youth: but he certainly was fo, be-fore he had reached his twenty-feventh year.

I therefore agree with Dr. Benfon in dating this Epiftle at the time of St. Paul's journey into Macedonia mentioned Acts xx. 1.: but in what particular town it was written I cannot determine, nor is it of any importance to the understanding of the Epiftle. Now, if St. Paul wrote during this journey to Timothy at Ephefus, Timothy must have returned to the Apoftle at Ephesus, after he had taken the journey from that city into Greece, which is mentioned, Acts xix. 21-22. 1 Cor. iv. 17. St. Paul was obliged to leave the Ephefian community fooner than he intended, becaufe Demetrius excited an infurrection against him. He therefore left Timothy behind him at Ephefus, to re-establish order in the church, to fill the ecclefiaftical offices, and to oppofe the falfe teachers.

Now as Timothy knew perfectly well the charge, which was committed to him, an Epiftle like this was not neceffary merely for his fake. But as fome of the Ephefians would not fubmit to him, and others intruded themfelves as bishops and minifters, St. Paul wrote this Epiftle, which he might lay before them as a document, in which the Apoftle invefted him with full powers. It may be confidered therefore as an Epiftle to the Ephefians, as well as to Timothy, See ch. i. 3. 18. iv. 6. 12. 13. v. 23. which paffages, and likewife feveral others in the Epiftle, receive a light from this obfervation.

Of the perfon and parentage of Timothy we read an account, Acts xvi. 1-3.: and from various parts of the New Teftament we learn that he was almoft the conftant companion of St. Paul.

f 1 Tim. i. 3.

SECT. II.

General remarks on the fect of the Effenes, who had already inculcated their doctrines at Ephefus, when St. Paul wrote his firft Epiftle to Timothy.

IT

T is abfolutely neceffary to be acquainted with the ftate of the Ephefian church, in order to understand the Epiftles of St. Paul to Timothy, and to the Ephefians. But before we can form a true judgement of the ftate of the Ephefian church, we must acquire some knowledge of the Effenes, a Jewish fect which began to fpread itself at Ephefus, and to threaten great mifchief to Christianity: for which reafon the Apoftle in the above-mentioned Epiftles, and likewife in that to the Coloffians declared himfelf openly against them.

Among ancient writers, there are four, who have given fome account of this fect. Philo mentions them in the treatife, where he proves the maxim, that every virtuous man is free, and defcribes them more fully in his effay on contemplative life. He has likewife fpoken of them in a paffage of his Apology for the Jews, which is quoted by Eufebius". The name, by which he has called them in Greek, is egαTEUTAI, which in the Greek language fignifies what Effene fignifies in Egyptian, and is in fact nothing more than a tranflation of it'. He defcribes them in a very favourable manner, which in Philo is by no means extraordinary, for they united the philofophy of Egypt, where Philo both lived and had been educated, with the doctrines of the Jews. But that

To these may be added likewife the Epifle to the Coloffians, to which they have a great resemblance,

h Præpar. Evang. Lib. VIII. 10.

See the Thef. Epift. la Crozianus, Tom. III. p. 168. ·

It is not improbable that he had the Effenes in view in those places, where he defcribes the perfectly wife and virtuous man, who retires from the buftle of the world to enjoy private contemplation.