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was confined between two foldiers, as in the cafe of Peter, Acts, chap. xii. ver. 6, two chains were employed; and it is faid, upon his miraculous deliverance, that the "chains" (aλuces, in the plural) "fell from his hands." Aεoμos Δεσμος the noun, and deσμw the verb, being general terms, were applicable to this in common with any other fpecies of perfonal coercion; but aλurs, in the fingular number, to none but this.

If it can be suspected that the writer of the prefent epistle, who, in no other particular, appears to have availed himself of the information concerning St. Paul delivered in the Acts, had, in this verse, borrowed the word, which he read in that book, and had adapted his expreffion to what he found there recorded of St. Paul's treatment at Rome; in short, that the coincidence here noted was effected by craft and defign; I think it a strong reply to remark, that, in the parallel paffage of the epiftle to the Coloffians, the fame allufion is not preserved: the words there are, "praying alfo for us, "that God would open unto us a door of utterance to speak the mystery of Christ,

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"" for

"for which I am also in bonds," do na Stopa. After what has been fhewn in a preceding number, there can be little doubt but that these two epiftles were written by the fame person. If the writer, therefore, fought for, and fraudulently inferted, the correfpondency into one epiftle, why did he not do it in the other? A real prisoner might ufe either general words which comprehended, this amongst many other modes of cuftody; or might use appropriate words which specified this, and diftinguished it from any other mode. It would be accidental which form of expreffion he fell upon. But an impoftor, who had the art, in one place, to employ the appropriate term for the purpose of fraud, would have used it in both places.

CHAP.

CHAP. VII.

THE EPISTLE TO THE PHILIPPIANS.

WHEN

No. I.

HEN a tranfaction is referred to in fuch a manner, as that the reference is easily and immediately understood by those who are beforehand, or from other quarters, acquainted with the fact, but is obfcure, or inperfect, or requires inveftigation, or a comparison of different parts, in order to be made clear to other readers, the tranfaction so referred to is probably real; because had it been fictitious, the writer would have fet forth his ftory more fully and plainly, not merely as conscious of the fiction, but as confcious that his readers could have no other knowledge of the fubject of his allufion than from the information of which he put them in poffeffion.

The

The account of Epaphroditus, in the epistle to the Philippians, of his journey to Rome, and of the business which brought him thither, is the article to which I mean to apply this obfervation. There are three paffages in the epiftle which relate to this fubject. The first, chap. i. ver. 7, "Even "as it is meet for me to think this of you "all, because I have you in my heart, inaf"much as both in my bonds, and in the "defence and confirmation of the gospel,

ye all are συγκοινωνοι με της χαριτος, joint "contributors to the gift which I have re"ceived." Nothing more is faid in this place. In the latter part of the fecond chapter, and at the distance of half the epistle from the last quotation, the subject appears again: "Yet I fuppofed it neceffary to fend "to you Epaphroditus, my brother and companion in labour, and fellow foldier,

* Pearce, I believe, was the first commentator who gave this sense to the expreffion; and I believe also, that his expofition is now generally affented to. He interprets in the same sense the phrase in the fifth verfe, which our tranflation renders, "your fellowship in the gospel;" but which in the original is not xong to svayleniou, or, κοινωνία εν τω ευαγίελιῳ ; but κοινωνιᾳ εις το ευαγέλιον.

"but

but your meffenger, and he that miniftered "to my wants: for he longed after

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you all, " and was full of heavinefs, because that ye "had heard that he had been fick: for indeed "he was fick nigh unto death; but God "had mercy on him, and not on him only, "but on me alfo, left I fhould have forrow 66 upon forrow. I fent him therefore the more carefully, that when ye fee him "again ye may rejoice, and that I may be "the lefs forrowful. Receive him therefore “in the Lord with all gladnefs; and hold "fuch in reputation: because for the work "of Chrift he was nigh unto death, not re"garding his life to fupply your lack of service "toward me." Chap. ii. ver. 25-30. The matter is here dropped, and no farther mention made of it till it is taken up near the conclufion of the epiftle as follows: * But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that "now at the last your care of me hath "flourished again; wherein ye were also "careful, but ye lacked opportunity: not "that I speak in refpect of want; for I have "learned in whatfoever ftate I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to

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