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cerning a contribution in Macedonia. In the Second Epiftle to the Corinthians he would have found a contribution in Macedonia accompanying that in Achaia; but no intimation for whom either was intended, and not a word about the journey. It was only by a close and attentive collation of the three writings, that he could have picked out the circumstances which he has united in his epiftle; and by a ftill more nice examination, that he could have determined them to belong to the fame period. In the third place I remark, what diminishes very much the fufpicion of fraud, how aptly and connectedly the mention of the circumstances in question, viz. the journey to Jerufalem, and of the occafion of that journey, arifes from the context. "Whenfoever I take my journey into Spain, "I will come to you; for I truft to see you "in my journey, and to be brought on my "way thitherward by you, if first I be "fomewhat filled with your company. “But now I go unto Ferufalem, to minister

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unto the faints; for it hath pleafed them of "Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain "contribution

"contribution for the poor faints which are at

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Ferufalem. It hath pleased them verily, "and their debtors they are; for if the "Gentiles have been made partakers of "their fpiritual things, their duty is also "to minifter unto them in carnal things. "When therefore I have performed this, "and have fealed them to this fruit, I will come by you into Spain." Is the paffage in Italics like a paffage foifted in for an extraneous purpose? Does it not arise from what goes before, by a junction as easy as any example of writing upon real business can furnish? Could any thing be more natural than that S. Paul, in writing to the Romans, fhould fpeak of the time when he hoped to vifit them; fhould mention the bufiuefs which then detained him; and that he purposed to fet forwards upon his journey to them, when that business was completed?

No. II.

By means of the quotation which formed the fubject of the preceding number, we collect, that the Epiftle to the Romans was written

1

written at the conclufion of St. Paul's fecond visit to the peninfula of Greece: but this we collect, not from the epiftle itself, nor from any thing declared concerning the time and place in any part of the epiftle, but from a comparison of circumstances referred to in the epiftle, with the order of events recorded in the Acts, and with references to the fame circumstances, though for quite different purposes, in the two Epiftles to the Corinthians. Now would the author of a forgery, who fought to gain credit to a fpurious letter by congruities, depending upon the time and place in which the letter was fuppofed to be written, have left that time and place to be made out, in a manner fo obfcure and indirect as this is? if therefore coincidences of circumstances can be pointed out in this epistle, depending upon its date, or the place where it was written, whilst that date and place are only ascertained by other circumstances, fuch coincidences may fairly be stated as undefigned. Under this head I adduce

Chap. xvi. 21-23.

"Timotheus, my

"" work

"workfellow, and Lucius, and Jason, and you. "Sofipater, my kinsmen, falute ITer

"tius, who wrote this epiftle, falute you in "the Lord. Gaius mine hoft, and of the "whole church, faluteth you; and Quartus,

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a brother." With this paffage I compare

Acts xx. 4. "And there accompanied

"him into Afia, Sopater of Berea; and, of "the Theffalonians, Ariftarchus and Secun"dus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timotheus; ❝and, of Afia, Tychicus, and Trophimus." The Epiftle to the Romans, we have feen, was written just before St. Paul's departure from Greece, after his fecond visit to that peninfula; the perfons mentioned in the quotation from the Acts are those who accompanied him in that very departure. Of feven whofe names are joined in the falutation of the church of Rome, three, viz. Sofipater, Gaius, and Timothy, are proved, by this paffage in the Acts, to have been with St. Paul at the time. And this is perhaps as much coincidence as could be expected from reality, though lefs, I am apt to think, than would have been produced by defign. Four are mentioned in the Acts who are not joined

in the falutation; and it is in the nature of

the cafe probable that there should be many attending St. Paul in Greece who knew nothing of the converts at Rome, not were known by them. In like manner feveral are joined in the falutation who are not mentioned in the paffage referred to in the Acts. This alfo was to be expected. The occafion of mentioning them in the Acts was their proceeding with St. Paul upon his journey. But we may be fure that there were many eminent Chriftians with St. Paul in Greece, befides those who accompanied him into Afia*.

But

*Of these Jafon is one, whose presence upon this occafion is very naturally accounted for. Jafon was an inhabitant of Theffalonica in Macedonia, and entertained St. Paul in his house upon his first visit to that country. Acts xvii. 7.-St. Paul, upon this his fecond vifit, paffed through Macedonia on this way to Greece, and, from the situation of Theffalonica, most likely thro' that city. It appears, from various inftances in the Acts, to have been the practice of many converts to attend St. Paul from place to place. It is therefore highly probable, I mean that it is highly confiftent with the account in the history, that Jason, according to that account a zealous disciple, the inhabitant of a city at no great distance from Greece, and through which, as it

fhould

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