copy at Ephefus or at Laodicea may have had either city, with equal reafon, added to it.

The Epistle to the Philippians affords very early a fingular coincidence. Epaphroditus had been fent by the church at Philippi with contributions and other neceffaries, for Paul when in confinement, and had been detained by fickness, from which he recovered without any miraculous interpofition. A forger would have expatiated on thefe circumftances; but it is collected only from different parts of this epiftle, for to the Philippians the facts were well known, and the allufions eaûly understood.

A remarkable connection occurs also in verse 15 and 16. of the fourth chapter. After the apostle departed from Macedonia, he tells the Philippians that they fent him affiftance; and this was in the beginning of his preaching the gospel in thefe parts. In 2 Cor. xi. 8, 9. he obferves, that he never was chargeable to the Corinthians, but that he was fupplied by the brethren which came from Macedonia;' and this was in his first vifit to the peninfula of Greece. In the beginning of this Epiftle, and in chap. ii. 19. it appears that Timothy had been at Philippi with Paul; but, in the tranfactions of Paul at Philippi, As xvi. paffim, Timothy is not mentioned. On enquiry, however, it appears that Timothy went, with Paul from Lyftra, and was with him at Berea, and in the route they had been at Philippi. This circumstance is cer tainly more ftrongly corroborative of the genuineness of this Epiftle, than if Timothy had been directly mentioned in the tranfactions at Philippi. The connection of chap. i. 29. 30. ii. 1 and 2. with Acts xvi. and 22. is very ftriking. The ⚫ conflict which you faw in me' is a very pointed coincidence, and the animated exhortation which follows, that as they suffered together, they fhould continue to be of one accord, and of one mind, is not only a natural effufion of a warm affectionate heart, but a powerful fupport of the facts in the history..

The Coloffians, to whom the next epifle in order is addressed, were chiefly Gentiles, for whom St. Paul confiders himfelf in these Epifles to have been perfecuted by the Jews. This is fupported very firongly by the hiftory. Acts xxii. 21. and the conclufion of St. Paul's fpeech to king Agrippa. In chap. iv. v. 10. the mention of Aristarchus introduces the paffages of the Acts, where it is faid that he accompanied Paul. It is obferved, that, if this Epiftle had been framed on the history in the Acts, no other perion would probably have been mentioned; but Juftus and Marcus alfo occur, the latter of whom we know to have been at Rome at this time; and the circumftance of his being fifter's fon to Barnabas explains the conteft between

between Paul and Barnabas, when Barnabas was fo urgent as to take Mark with him. We hear of him again, A&s xii. 12. Our author concludes from the falutation, in which those of the circumcifion are diftinguished, that Luke was not a Jew: this circumftance is confirmed by A&s i. 19.

In the first Epistle to the Theffalonians, there are fome pasfages, which feem to fhow that, in the apostle's opinion, the end of the world is not far diftant. This, it is remarked, would not have been hazarded by a fophift, the forgers of a later æra, who knew that this event had not taken place; nor could an earlier forger have inferted that paffage, which directs the epistle to be read in the churches, if it was a matter of public notoriety, that no fuch letter was ever read. There are alfo many coincidences with the history, and fome variations, which equally fupport the authenticity of the Epiftle, particularly where Paul fpeaks of an intention of vifiting Theffalonica, which the historian need not point but, as it was not executed or he might not have known. The apostle mentions, chap. iii. 1-7. having fent Timothy, which is not faid in the Acts; but in that history it is evident that Timothy had been with Paul at Athens, and left him; this, however, is rather to be gathered from circumftances, than exprefsly faid. Our au-, thor fuppofes, from chap. ii. 9 and 10. that Paul made fome stay at Theffalonica; yet Luke mentions his preaching in the fynagogue only three fabbath-days. Mr. Paley, however, remarks, with fome propriety, that St. Paul always firft addreffed himself to the Jews; and, if he was rejected by them, he applied to the Gentiles. The hiftory, therefore, only mentioning the fynagogue, does not preclude his having other places, where he addreffed the Gentile converts.

The most important remark on the fecond Epiftle to the Theffalonians relates to the famous paffage refpecting the man of fin. The archdeacon confiders it as inexplicable, and, as it refers to a converfation between the apostle and the Theffalonians, it will probably remain fo. Yet the author thinks, that a forger would not have written a fentence fo obfcure, merely that he might refer to his correfpondents for an explanation. It certainly alluded to a private fact among the new converts, and much pains have been employed to make that intelligible which it is impoflible at this distance to render fo.

The first Epistle to Timothy is fuppofed by Mr. Paley to have been written from Ephefus, after the apoftle's imprifonment at Rome, beyond the æra at which the history termi nates. This, though contrary to the opinion of the best commentators, is fupported by good arguments, and particularly

by

by the paffage in the Philippians, where he expreffes his intention to come to them shortly, and by another in the Epiftle to Philemon, a Coloffian, where he requests his correspondent to procure a lodging. In paffing from either city to the other, he must have been near Ephefus, which he would probably vifit, and from Ephefus this first epiftle was fent.

The fecond Epiftle to Timothy was written during the apoftle's fecond imprisonment at Rome; and various parts of it confirm the paffage in the Acts, which fays, that his mother was a converted Jewels. The tenth and eleventh verfes of the third chapter are alfo fupported minutely, and particularly by various coinciding and incidental paffages of hif

Lory.

The Epifle to Titus is very fimilar to the firft to Timothy, written at the fame time, and fupported by the fame coincidences. We fhall add our author's conclusion respecting the period of this epiftle.

་

Upon the whole, if we may be allowed to fuppofe that St. Paul, after his liberation at Rome, failed into Afia, taking Crete in his way; that from Afia, and from Ephefus, the capital of that country, he proceeded into Macedonia, and crolling 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 apostle 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 Ephefus, 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 thefe two letters, and thereby accounting for that affinity between them, both in fubject and language, which our remarks have pointed out. I confefs that the journey, which we have thus traced out for St. Paul, is, in a great mea fure, hypothetic; but it fhould be obferved, that it is a fpecies of confiftency, which feldom belongs to falfehood, to admit of an hypothefis, which includes a great number of independent circumstances without contradiction.'

The Epiftle to Philemon greatly refembles that to the Coloffians, and, like a cloven tally, they fapport the credit of each other; yet Philemon, and fome other coinciding circumftances, not being mentioned in the addrefs to the Coloffians, could not have furnished a fophift with the hint. To Philemon alfo the apoftle fpeaks with affection. He was his own convert, and he speaks alfo as to thofe whom he has not vifited; for, though he knew Philemon, he knew only from report of his good conduct, which he expreffes himself as glad

to hear.

2

The

The next chapter relates to fix of the fubfcriptions to the Epiftles, which are decidedly falfe. They appear to be the fcholia of a future tranfcriber, fet down without due reflection; but we cannot add this circumftance to the number of coincidences, for a fcholiaft to a forgery might err as well as the annotator of a genuine epiftle.

After having examined the internal, our author proceeds to the external evidence, which he confiders fhortly, and then connects, in a masterly comprehenfive manner, the conclufions to be drawn from his former remarks. These he employs not only to fupport the writings ufually attributed to St. Paul, but the Chriftian religion alfo, and to prove that the evangelifts and the apostles did not teach cunningly devised fables.' But, as the facts are of most importance, on these we have chiefly refted; and we have extended our article perhaps a little too far, not only in respect to our author, but from confidering this work, after mature reflection, one of the ableft and moft convincing series of arguments in favour of Christianity that perhaps exifts. We wish to make the work known; and to draw the reader from the perufal of our article to the examination of the work at large: we cannot conclude in better words than thofe of Mr. Paley.

Here then we have a man of liberal attainments, and, in other points, of found judgment, who had addicted his life to the fervice of the gofpel. We fee him, in the prosecution of his purpose, travelling from country to country, enduring every fpecics of hardfhip, encountering every extremity of danger, affaulted by the populace, punished by the magiftrates, fcourged, beat, ftoned, left for dead; expecting, whenever he came, a renewal of the fame treatment, and the fame dangers, yet, when driven from one city, preaching in the next; fpending his whole time in the employment, facrificing to it his pleafures, his ease, his fafety; perfifting in this courfe to old age, unaltered by the experience of perverfeness, ingratitude, prejudice, defertion; unfubdued by anxiety, want, labour, perfecutions; unwearied by long confinement, undifmayed by the prospect of death. Such was St. Paul. We have his letters in our hands: we have alfo a history purporting to be written by one of his fellow-travellers, and appearing, by a comparison with thele letters, certainly to have been written by fome perfon well acquainted with the tranfactions of his life. From the letters, as well as from the hillory, we gather not only the account which we have stated of him, but that he was one out of many who acted and fuffered in the fame manner; and that, of those who did fo, feveral had been the companions of Chrift's ministry, the ocular witneffes, or pretending to be fuch, of his miracles, and of his refurrection. We moreover find this fame perfon referring in his letters to his fupernatural converfion, the parti

culars

culars and accompanying circumftances of which are related in the hiftory, and which accompanying circumftances, if all or any of them be true, render it imponib.e to have le na delufion. We alio find him pofitively, and in appropriated terms, afferting, that he nimfelf worked miracles, frictly and properly fo called, in fupport of the miffion which he executed; the history, meowhi, recording various paffages of his miniftry, which come up to the extent of this after ion. The queffion is, whether alfehood was ever attefied by evidence like this. Falfe hoods, we know, have found their way into reports, into tradition, into books: but is an example to be met with, of a man voluntarily undertaking a life of want and pain, of inceffant fatigue, of continual peril; fubmitting to the lofs of his home and country, to ftripes and ftoning, to tedious imprisonment, and the conftant expectation of a violent death, for the fake of carrying about a story of what was falfe, and of what, if falfe, he muft have known to be fo?'

The Works of Soame Jenyns, Efq. In Four Volumes. Including feveral Pieces never before published. To which are prefixed, fhort Sketches of the Hiftory of the Author's Family, and aifo of bis Life. By Charles Nalfon Cole, Efq. 8vo. 125. Boards. Cadell.

IT

T is with a pleasing melancholy that we pay the laft tribute to the memory of an amiable man, an agreeable and judicious author, in this collection of his fcattered and mifcellaneous works. His editor, Mr. Cole, was the person to whom Soame Jenyns left his manufcripts; and, from a long acquaintance, this gentleman was enabled to act nearly perhaps as the author would have done. He has prefixed alfo the life of Mr. Jenyns, written with a simple elegance, in an eafy and unornamented ftyle, which pleates by its perfect freedom from affectation, from a misplaced word, or an improper idea. Our author was, it feems, a gentleman of fortune, diftinguished in early life by a difinterested attachment to fir Robert Walpole, and retaining, from the fcenes of that period, a diflike of oppofitions. In private life he was a pleafing well-informed companion, an abie and active magiftrate, an uncorrupted reprefentative. To the more elegant talents he added much acquired knowledge; and his wit did not hurry away his judgment, or his philofophy degenerate to a fceptical infidelity As an author, we have followed him repeatedly, and we need not now return back to fay what he was or what we thought. Some particular traits of his character we shall felect from Mr. Cole's narrative.

He was ftrict in the performance of religious duties in public, and a conftant practifer of them in private; ever profeiting

the