the allusions to those events in the first epiftle. Now this is a species of congruity of all others the most to be relied upon. It is not an agreement between two accounts of the same transaction, or between different statements of the fame fact, for the fact is not stated; nothing that can be called an account is given; but it is the junction of two conclusions, deduced from independent sources, and deducible only by investigation and comparison.

This point, viz. the change of the route, being prior to the writing of the first epistle, also falls in with, and accounts for the manner in which he speaks in that epistle of his journey. His first intention had been, as he here declares, to pass by them into Mace"donia;" that intention having been previously given up, he writes, in his first epistle, " that he would not see them now by the way,” i. e. as he must have done upon his

66 but that he trusted to tarry awhile with them, and possibly to abide,

yea and winter with them” (1 Cor. chap. xvi. ver. 5,6. It also accounts for a singularity in the text referred to, which must strike

first plan;

every reader : “ I will come to you when I “ pass through Macedonia ; for I do pass

through Macedonia. The supplemental sentence, “ for I do pass through Macedonia" imports that there had been some previous communication upon the subject of the journey; and also that there had been some vacillation and indecisiveness in the apostle's plan ; both which we now perceive to have been the case. The sentence is as much as to say, " this is what I at last resolve

upon.” The expreflion « οταν Μακεδονιαν διελθω,” is ambiguous; it

may

denote either " when I pass, or when I shali have passed, through 66 Macedonia ;" the considerations offered above fix it to the latter sense. Lastly, the point we have endeavoured to make out, confirms, or rather indeed is necessary to the support of a conjecture, which forms the subject of a number in our observations upon the first epistle, that the insinuation of certain of the church of Corinth, that he would come no more amongst them, was founded in some previous disappointe ment of their expectations.

No.

is

a

No. V. But if St. Paul had changed his purpofc before the writing of the first epistle, why did he defer explaining himself to the Co-, rinthians, concerning the reason of that change, until he wrote the second? This very

fair question ; and we are able, I think, to return to it a satisfactory anfwer. The real cause, and the cause at length assigned by St. Paul for postponing his visit to Corinth, and not travelling by the route which he had at first designed, was the diforderly state of the Corinthian church at the time, and the painful feverities which he should have found himself obliged to exercise, if he had come amongst them during the existence of these irregularities. He'

willing therefore to try, before he came in person, what a letter of authoritative ob- ; jurgation would do amongst them, and to leave time for the operation of the experiment. That was his scheme in writing the first epistle. But it was not for him to acquaint them with the scheme. After the epistle had produced its effect (and to the

was

utmost extent, as it should seem, of the apo-
ftle's hopes); when he had wrought in them
a deep sense of their fault, and an almost
passionate solicitude to restore themselves to
the approbation of their teacher; when Ti-
tus (chap. vii. ver. 6,7,11) had brought him
intelligence “ of their earnest desire, their
“ mourning, their fervent mind towards
“ him, of their sorrow and their penitence;
“ what carefulness, what clearing of them-
“ felves, what indignation, what fear, what
“ vehement desire, what zeal, what re-
“ venge,” his letter, and the general con-
cern occafioned by it, had excited amongst
them; he then

opens
himself fully upon

the subject. The affectionate mind of the

apostle is touched by this return of zeal and duty. He tells them that he did not visit them at the time proposed, left their meeting should have been attended with mutual grief; and with grief to him embittered by the reflection, that he was giving pain to. thofe, from whom alone he could receive comfort. “ I determined this with myself, “ that I would not come again to you in “ heaviness; for if I make you sorry, who

66 is

" is he that maketh me glad but the fame “ which is made forry by me?” (chap. ii. ver. 1, 2) that he had written his former epistle to warn them beforehand of their fault, 6 left when he came he should have forrow “ of them of whom he ought to rejoice" (chap. ii. ver. 3); that he had the farther view, though perhaps unperceived by them, of making an experiment of their fidelity,

to know the proof of them, whether they “ were obedient in all things” (chap. ii. ver. 9). This full discovery of his motive came very naturally from the apostle, after he had seen the success of his measures, but would not have been a seasonable communication before. The whole composes a train of sentiment and of conduct resulting from real situation, and from real circumstance, and as remote as possible from fiction or impos

ture.

No. VI.
Chap. xin ver. 9.

“ When I was present " with

you

and wanted, I was chargeable to no man; for that which was lacking to me,