The phrafe "God our Saviour" ftands in nearly the fame predicament. It is repeated three times in the first epiftle to Timothy, as many in the epiftle to Titus, and in no other book of the New Teftament occurs at all, except once in the epiftle of Jude.

Similar terms, intermixed indeed with others, are employed, in the two epiítles, in enumerating the qualifications required in those who should be advanced to stations of authority in the church.

"A bishop must be blameless, the husband "of one wife, vigilant, fober, of good be"haviour, given to hofpitality, apt to teach, "not given to wine, no firiker, not greedy of

filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, "not covetous, one that ruleth well his "own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity*" 1 Tim. chap. iii. ver. 2-4.

"If any be blameless, the husband of one "wife, having faithful children, not accused

* σε Δει εν τον επίσκοπον ανεπίληπτον είναι, μιας γυναικος ανδρας ψηφαλεον, σωφρονα, κόσμιον, φιλόξενον, διδακτικον, μη παροινον, μη πληκτην, μη αισχροκερδη αλλ' επιεική, αμάχων, αξιλάργυρον ; τ8 ιδια οικο καλως προισαμενον, τεκα εχοντα εν υποταγη μετα πάσης

❝of riot, or unruly; for a bishop must be "blameless as the steward of God, not self"willed, not foon angry, not given to wine, "no ftriker, not given to filthy lucre, but a "lover of hofpitality, a lover of good men, "fober, juft, holy, temperate*." Titus, ch. i. ver. 6-8.

The most natural account which can be given of these resemblances, is to suppose that the two epiftles were written nearly at the fame time, and whilst the fame ideas and phrases dwelt in the writer's mind. Let us enquire therefore, whether the notes of time, extant in the two epiftles, in any manner favour this fuppofition.

We have seen that it was necessary to refer the first epistle to Timothy to a date subsequent to St. Paul's first imprisonment at Rome, because there was no journey into Macedonia prior to that event, which accorded with the circumftance of leaving

66

Timothy behind at Ephefus." The jour

* 66 Ει τις ετιν ανεγκλητος, μιας γυναικος ανηρ, τεκνά εχων πιςα, μη εν καληγορία ασωνιας, η ανυποτακια. Δεν γαρ τον επίσκοπον ανεγκλητον ειναι, ως Θε8 οικονομον, μη αυθαδή, μη οργίλον, μη παροικον, μη πληκίην, με αισχροκερδη αλλα φιλοξενον, φιλάγαθον, σώφρονα, δικαιον, οσιον, εγκρατής

ney

ney

of St. Paul from Crete, alluded to in the epistle before us, and in which Titus "was "left in Crete to fet in order the things "that were wanting," muft, in like manner, be carried to the period which intervened between his first and fecond imprisonment. For the history, which reaches, we know, to the time of St. Paul's firft imprisonment, contains no account of his going to Crete, except upon his voyage as a prisoner to Rome; and that this could not be the occafion referred to in our epiftle is evident from hence, that when St. Paul wrote this epistle, he appears to have been at liberty; whereas after that voyage, he continued for two years at least in confinement. Again, it is agreed that St. Paul wrote his first epistle to Timothy from Macedonia: "As I be

fought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when "I went (or came) into Macedonia." And that he was in these parts, i. e. in this peninfula, when he wrote the epiftle to Titus, is rendered probable by his directing Titus to come to him to Nicopolis: "When I "shall send Artemas unto thee or Tychicus, "be diligent (make hafte) to come unto

me

"me to Nicopolis; for I have determined "there to winter.' The most noted city

of that name was in Epirus, near to Actium. And I think the form of speaking, as well as the nature of the cafe, renders it proba ble, that the writer was at Nicopolis, or in the neighbourhood thereof, when he dictated this direction to Titus.

his

Upon the whole, if we may be allowed to fuppofe that St. Paul, after his liberation at Rome, failed into Afia, taking Crete in way; that from Asia, and from Ephefus, the capital of that country, he proceeded into Macedonia, and croffing the peninfula in his progrefs, came into the neighbourhood of Nicopolis; we have a route which falls in with every thing. It executes the intention expreffed by the apoftle of vifiting Coloffe and Philippi as foon as he should be fet at liberty at Rome. It allows him to leave "Titus at Crete," and "Timothy at Ephe"fus, as he went into Macedonia:" and to write to both not long after from the peninfula of Greece, and probably the neighbourhood of Nicopolis: thus bringing together the dates of these two letters, and thereby

accounting for that affinity between them, both in fubject and language, which our remarks have pointed out. I confess that the journey which we have thus traced out for. St. Paul, is, in a great measure, hypothetic; but it should be obferved, that it is a fpecies of confiftency, which feldom belongs to falsehood, to admit of an hypothesis, which includes a great number of independent circumftances without contradiction.

CHAP.