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the Hebrews, having promifed to vifit them, we may believe, that when at liberty to fulfil his promife, he failed in spring 62. from Italy for Judea, accompanied by Titus and Timothy. In their way, touching at Crete, they went through the cities, and preached the gofpel to the idolatrous inhabitants with such power and fuccefs, that great numbers of them were converted, See fect. 2. of this Pref. However, although the apostle's fuccefs was fo great in Crete, and his converts were not formed into churches, he did not judge it proper to remain in Crete; but committing the care of the disciples there to Titus, with an order to ordain elders in every city, he failed into Judea in fpring 63, accompanied by Timothy. The brethren in that country being greatly diftreffed by the the troubles which preceded the war with the Romans, the apoftlé, if he heard in Crete of their distress, might think it neceffary to haften his 'vifit to them. Accordingly, as foon as he landed in Judea, he and Timothy went up to Jerufalem, and fpent fome time with the Hebrews, after which they proceeded to Antioch; and in their progress through the churches, comforted and established them. From Antioch, the apostle fet out on his fifth and last apoftolical journey, in which he and Timothy travelled through Syria and Cilicia, then came to Coloffe in Phrygia early in the year 64. And seeing he had defired Philemon to provide him a lodging in Coloffe, it is reasonable to think he abode there fome time. On that occafion, as Benfon and others conjecture, he may have written his epifle to Titus in Crete, in which he defired him to come to him at Nicopolis, because he proposed to winter there, Tit. iii. 12.-From Coloffe, the apostle went with Timothy to Ephefus, where having inquired into the state of the church in that city, he gave the Ephefian brethren fuch exhortations as he judged neceffary, then departed to go Macedonia, leaving Timothy at Ephesus, to charge some teachers not to teach differently from the apoftles, 1 Tim. i. 3.

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In pailing through Macedonia, the apoftle, no doubt, vifited the Philippians, and the other brethren in that province, according to his promife, Philip. ii. 24. After that he went forward to Nicopolis to winter there, as he propofed; being accompanied by Erastus and Trophimus, who, it feems, had joined him,

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either at Ephefus or in Macedonia.-In the beginning of the year 65, while the apostle abode at Nicopolis, taking into confideration the weight of the charge which he had devolved on Timothy, he wrote to him that excellent letter in the canon, called, The first epiftle to Timothy, in which he taught him how to discharge the duties of his function properly.—It seems, that at parting with Timothy, St. Paul had promised to return foon to Ephefus from Nicopolis, 1 Tim. iii. 14. But he was disappointed in his refolution. For not long after writing his letter to Timothy, Titus came from Crete to Nicopolis, according to the apostle's order, Tit. iii. 12. and gave him fuch an account of the state of the churches in that ifland, as determined him to visit them immediately; so that laying aside his purpose of returning to Ephefus, he left Nicopolis early in the year 65, accompanied by Titus, Trophimus, and Eraftus: the latter of whom went no farther with him than to Corinth, 2 Tim. iv. 20.At his arrival in Crete, he no doubt vifited the churches, and rectified the diforders which had taken place in them. But while employed in that work, hearing of the perfecution which Nero was carrying on against the Christians in Rome, on pretence that they had fet fire to the city, (See Pref. to 2 Tim. sect. 3. last paragr.) and judging that his presence in Rome might be of ufe to the brethren in their diftrefs, he refolved to go thither. 1 fuppofe the apoftle failed for Italy with Titus, in the end of fummer 65, leaving Trophimus fick at Miletus, a city of Crete, 2 Tim. iv. 20. For that Titus was in Rome with Paul during his fecond imprisonment, is certain, from 2 Tim. iv. 1o. where the apoftle informed Timothy, that Titus was one of those who had fled from the city through fear, and had gone into Dalmatia: but whether with, or without his approbation, the apoftle doth not exprefsly fay.-What became of Titus afterwards, is no where told us in fcripture. But fome ancient writers mentioned by Whitby, in his Pref. to Titus, fay that he died in the 94th year of his age, and was buried in Crete From which they conjecture, that he returned to Crete after St. Paul's death: for the time of which, See Pref. to 2 Tim. fect. 3. laft paragraph.

SECT.

SECT. II. Of the Introduction and Progress of the Chriftian Faith

in Crete.

Among the three thousand who were converted by Peter on the memorable day of Pentecoft, Cretes, that is, Jews, natives of Crete, who had come up to Jerufalem to worship, are mentioned, Acts ii. 11. These, being of the same disposition with the Jewish converts, who, after the death of Stephen, preached the word to none but to the Jews only, Acts xi. 19. would, after their return home from Jerufalem, confine their preaching to the Jews, who, as Jofephus informs us, were very numerous in Crete. We may therefore believe, that the first Christians in Crete, were mostly of the Jewish nation.-It is true, Barnabas went into Cyprus, after he separated himself from Paul. But it is not faid that he went into Crete, either on that or on any other occafion. And even though he had preached in Crete, as he had not the power of imparting the spiritual gifts to his converts, it cannot be thought that his preaching in that country would be attended with very great fuccefs. The fame may be faid of any other Evangelist or Christian prophet, who happened to preach the gospel to the Cretans. I therefore think the numerous converfions of the inhabitants of Crete, which made it neceffary that elders should be ordained in every city, must be afcribed to the labours of fome apoftle, who, by working miracles, and conferring the spiritual gifts on his converts, made fuch an impreffion on the minds of the Cretans, that many of the idolatrous inhabitants, and some of the Jews embraced the Chriftian faith.

Now, that St. Paul was this apoftle, feems probable from his leaving Titus in Crete, to fet in order the things wanting among the Christians there, and to ordain elders in every city. The modelling and governing the Chriftian churches, certainly belonged to the perfons who had planted them. Accordingly, most of the churches in the Gentile countries having been planted by the apostle Paul, he modelled, corrected, and governed the whole, either in perfon, or by his affiftants, without any interference from his brethren apoftles; juft as the apoftles of the circum

circumcifion, modelled, corrected and governed the churches planted by them, without any interference from him.

If the foregoing reasoning is juft, the account given in sect. I. may be admitted; namely, That St. Paul failed into Crete, after he was released from his firft confinement at Rome; that at his landing in Crete, he went through the different cities, and converted many of the inhabitants; and that being in hafte to perform his intended vifit to the Hebrews, he committed the care of modelling and fettling the churches in Crete to Titus, and then set out with Timothy for Judea.-These transactions I think happened after the apostle's release from his first confinement at Rome, because, though he touched at Crete in his voyage to Rome to profecute his appeal to the Emperor, being a prisoner, he would not be allowed to go through the island to preach: confequently, if he made any converts on that occafion, they must have been but few.

SECT. III. Of the Ifland of Crete, and of the Character and Manners af its Inhabitants.

Crete, where Titus exercifed his ministry when the apoftle wrote his letter to him, is one of the largest islands in the Mediterranean, and lies to the fouth of the Archipelago. In length from west to eaft, it is about 250 miles, in breadth about 50, and in circuit about 600.-Anciently it was famous for its hundred cities; for the arrival of Europa on a bull from Phonicia; for the laws of Minos, one of its kings; for the loves of Pasiphae, the wife of Minos, and of his daughter Ariadne; for the labyrinth, the work of Dædalus; for the deftruction of the Minotaur; but above all, for the fepulchre of Jupiter, with his name infcribed upon it. See Titus i. 12. note 2. And to finish the mythological hiftory of Crete, it was famous for mount Ida, where Jupiter is faid to have been preserved from his father Saturn, and educated by the Curetes, Corybantes, or Idæi Dactyli.

According to ancient authors, Crete was originally peopled from Palestine. This fact Bochart hath rendered probable, by VOL. IV. observing,

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obferving, Canaan, lib. i. c. 15. That that part of Palestine, which lies on the Mediterranean, was by the Arabs called Keritha, and by the Syrians Creth; and that the Hebrews called its inhabitants, Crethi, or Crethim, which the LXX. have tranflated, Kontas, Cretians, Ezek. xxv. 16. Zephan. ii. 5. That thefe prophets do not speak of the island of Crete, is plain, from their joining the Philifim with the Crethim, as one and the fame people. Accordingly it appears, that the Crethim were a part of the Philiftim; Crethi, or, as it is in the Chaldee paraphrase, Creth, being declared, 1 Sam. xxx. 14. 16. to be the land of the Philiftines.-Bochart adds, That the Crethi in Palestine were noted archers, and that fome of them were employed by King David as his life guards. See 2 Sam. viii. 18. xv. 18. xx. 23. 1 Kings i. 38. 1 Chron. xviii. 17. in all which places, they are called in our tranflation, Cherethites; but the original word is, Crethi, which the Chaldee paraphraft interprets, Archers.— These Crethi of Palestine, it is thought, had their name from a Hebrew word, which fignifies, to destroy, because they made great havoc with their arrows; to which there is an elegant allufion, Ezek. xxv. 16. Vehicrathi eth Crethim, which our tranflators have rendered, I will cut off the Cherethites; but the literal translation is, I will cut off the cutters off, namely, the Crethim.

Sir Ifaac Newton alfo is of opinion, that Cretè was peopled from Palestine, as appears from his Chronology, page 13. where he faith, "Many of the Phoenicians and Syrians, in the year "before Chrift 1045, fled from Zidon, and from King David, "into Afia Miñor, Crete, Greece, and Libya; and introduced "letters, mufic, poetry, the Octaeteris, metals, and their fabri❝cation, and other arts, sciences, and customs of the Phoeni"cians. Along with thefe Phoenicians, came a fort of men, "fkilled in the religious mysteries, arts, and sciences of Pho"nicia, and fettled in feveral places, under the names of Cu"retes, Idai Dactyli, &c."

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The Crethi from Paleftine, who fettled themfelves in Crete, feem to have given their own name to that island. In their new habitation, they continued to be famous archers, (see Tournefort, vol. i. page 83.) and to exercise all the arts which they formerly practifed in Palestine; especially that of navigation, which they

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