66

"miniftered unto him, Timotheus and Eraftus; but he himself stayed in Afia for a "feafon." A fhort time after this, and evidently in pursuance of the fame intention, we find (chap. xx. ver. 1, 2) that "Paul departed from Ephefus for to go into "Macedonia; and that, when he had gone "over those parts, he came into Greece." The refolution therefore of paffing first through Macedonia, and from thence into Greece, was formed by St. Paul previously to the fending away of Timothy. The order in which the two countries are mentioned, fhews the direction of his intended route, "when he had paffed through Macedonia and Achaia.” Timothy and Eraftus, who were to precede him in his progrefs, were fent by him from Ephefus into Macedonia. He himself a fhort time afterwards, and, as hath been obferved, evidently in continuation and pursuance of the same defign, "departed for to go into Macedonia." If he had ever therefore entertained a different plan of his journey, which is not hinted in the history, he must have changed that plan before this time. But, from the feven

teenth

teenth verfe of the fourth chapter of the firft Epiftle to the Corinthians, we discover, that Timothy had been sent away from Ephefus before that epiftle was written: "For this "caufe have I fent unto you Timotheus, "who is my beloved fon." The change therefore of St. Paul's refolution, which was prior to the fending away of Timothy, was neceffarily prior to the writing of the first Epiftle to the Corinthians.

Thus ftands the order of dates, as collected from the hiftory, compared with the first epiftle. Now let us enquire, fecondly, how this matter is represented in the epistle before us. In the fixteenth verfe of the first chapter of this epistle, St. Paul speaks of the intention which he had once entertained of visiting Achaia, in his way to Macedonia: "In this confidence I was minded to come " unto you before, that ye might have a fe "cond benefit; and to pafs by you into "Macedonia." After protesting, in the feventeenth verfe, against any evil conftruction that might be put upon his laying aside of this intention, in the twenty-third verse he discloses the caufe of it: "Moreover I "call

14

"call God for a record upon my foul, that, "to fpare you, I came not as yet unto Co"rinth." And then he proceeds as follows: "But I determined this with myself, that "I would not come again to you in heavi"nefs; for if I make you forry, who is he "then that maketh me glad, but the fame

which is made forry by me? And I wrote "this fame unto you, left when I came I I "fhould have forrow from them of whom "I ought to rejoice; having confidence in

66

86

66

you all, that my joy is the joy of you all: "for, out of much affliction and anguish of heart, I wrote unto you with many tears; 66 not that ye should be grieved, but that ye might know the love which I have more "abundantly unto you; but if any have "caufed grief, he hath not grieved me but "in part, that I may not overcharge you "all. Sufficient to fuch a man is this pu"nishment, which was inflicted of many." In this quotation, let the reader first direct his attention to the claufe marked by Italics, " and I wrote this fame unto you;" and let him confider, whether from the context, and from the structure of the whole paffage, it

be

be not evident that this writing was after St. Paul had determined with himself, that "he would not come again to them in hea"vinefs?" whether, indeed, it was not in confequence of this determination, or at least with this determination upon his mind? And, in the next place, let him confider, whether the fentence, "I determined this "with myself, that I would not come again. "to you in heavinefs," do not plainly refer to that poftponing of his vifit, to which he had alluded in the verfe but one before, when he faid, "I call God for a record upon my "foul, that, to fpare you, I came not as yet "unto Corinth ;" and whether this be not the vifit of which he fpeaks in the fixteenth verfe, wherein he informs the Corinthians, "that he had been minded to pafs by them "into Macedonia;" but that, for reasons which argued no levity or ficklenefs in his difpofition, he had been compelled to change his purpose. If this be so, then it follows that the writing here mentioned was pofterior to the change of his intention. The only queftion, therefore, that remains will be, whether this writing relate to the letter

which we now have under the title of the

first Epiftle to the Corinthians, or to fome other letter not extant? And this quef

upon

tion I think Mr. Locke's obfervation decifive; namely, that the fecond clause marked in the quotation by Italics, "I wrote unto 66 you with many tears," and the first claufe fo marked, "I wrote this fame unto you," belong to one writing, whatever that was; and that the second claufe goes on to advert to a circumstance which is found in our prefent first Epistle to the Corinthians; namely, the cafe and punishment of the incestuous perfon. Upon the whole then we fee, that it is capable of being inferred from St. Paul's own words, in the long extract which we have quoted, 'that the first Epistle to the Corinthians was written after St. Paul had determined to postpone his journey to Corinth; in other words, that the change of his purpose, with respect to the course of his journey, though expressly mentioned only in the fecond epistle, had taken place before the writing of the firft; the point which we made out to be implied in the history, by the order of the events there recorded, and

the