The obfervation, that Paul here refers to the tears, fhed by his friends at his parting with them at Miletus, appears to me very obvious: though it has been hitherto entirely overlooked, to far as I know. And it will directly lead us to the true date of this epiftle. It is a moft proper beginning of a letter fent by Paul to Timothy at Ephefus, foon after his arrival at Rome from Paleftine, at the time we fuppofe: but it is very unlikely to be taken notice of in an epiftle written feveral years afterwards, and after there had been an interview: as there certainly was, when Paul was at Rome. I fhall now obferve divers particulars, confirming the fuppofition, that St. Paul's fecond epiftle to Timothy was written, during the apostle's imprisonment at Rome, and near the beginning of it. 1. The circumstances of the apoftle's imprisonment at Rome, when fent thither by Feftus, and at the time of writing this epistle, are exactly the fame. Says St. Luke, Acts xxviii. 16. Paul was fuffered to dwell by himself, with a foldier that kept him. And ver 30. Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired houfe, and received all that came in unto him. Here are two remarkable particulars. First, that Paul dwelt by himself, with a foldier that kept him: that is, after the manner of the Romans, by an iron chain, of convenient length, he was faftened to a foldier, who had one end of the chain. upon his left hand, and Paul the other end upon his right hand, as was largely fhown" formerly. To this St. Paul refers in this his fecond epiftle to Timothy i. 16. fpeaking of Onefiphorus: He oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain. So exactly, Acts xxviii. 20. Because for the hope of Ifrael, I am bound with this chain. Secondly. The other remarkable particular is, that when at Rome, Paul dwelt in his own hired bouje, and received all who came in unto him. Such alfo was his cafe at writing this epiftle, as appears abundantly from ch. iv. 10. and other places. He had with him Demas, Crefcens, Titus. The first was gone to Theffalonica, without his approbation: the others were gone, whither he had fent them, as it feems. And Luke was ftill with him. And at ver. 21. he fends falutations to Timothy from divers perfons, and from the church at Rome in general, faying: Eubulus greeteth thee, and Pudens, and Linus, and Claudia, and all the brethren. Which shows, that people had free access to the apoftle, when he wrote this epiftle. 1. Obj. However, it has been objected, that when Onefiphorus came to Rome, Paul was clofe fhut up, and Onefiphorus had much difficulty in finding him. Which is different from the imprisonment, of which St. Luke has given an account. To which I answer, that Onefiphorus had no uncommon difficulty in his accefs to Paul, whofe words are, 2 Tim. i. 16, 17. The Lord give mercy to the boufe of Onefphorus. For be oft refreshed me, and was not afhamed of my chain. But when he was at Rome, he fought me out very diligently, and came unto me: that is, I think: Onefiphorus has been often with me, and refreshed me, with prefents, and with his converfation, without being at all afhamed of me, though I had a chain upon me.' Which shows, that Onefiphorus might come to vifit the apoftle, when he pleafed: and might give him as much relief, as he faw good. Yea, fays the apoftle, as foon as he came to Rome, he made inquiries after me, and came to fee me without delay.' Here appear not any tokens of Paul's being under a very ftrict confinement. But here are evidences of his being in fuch a condition, as that reprefented by St. Luke, when he had been brought from Judea to Rome. Onefiphorus seems to have come to Rome, foon after the apoftle's arrival there. In order to find him out, and know where he was, it was needful to make fome inquiries. How elfe fhould any man find a ftranger in a great city? Whether he was quite at liberty, or in one of the prifons of it, fome inquiries would be needful. And when Onefiphorus had found the place, where Paul was, he came to it without any difficulty. Witfius fpeaks exactly to the like purpose. And fuppofeth, that after fome inquiries (fuch as are needful, when a i In fecundis vinculis alia ftatim rerum facies fuit. Tunc enim Onefitbarus, inquit, cum Romam veniffet, folicite me quafivit, et invenit. i. 17. An opus erat, ut Onefiphorus σπεδαιότερον, et cum tanto ftudio ac folicitudine quæreret Paulum, et ex tam fedula inquifitione inveniret, fi Apoftolus aut in eadem domo, aut cum eadem libertate, et non in arcta et abdita cuftodia prædicaffet? Pearfon. De Succeff. primor. Rom. Epifcop. Diff. i. cap. 9. n. viii. Quando Onefiphorus Paulum Romæ quæfitum venit, non videtur inveniffe in carcerem conjectum, arctaque cuftodia detentum, fed militi fuo alligatum, in diverfiolo. Sic enim Paulus: Kai Thy alvow μs man man comes to a large city, and wants to fee a ftranger newly arrived) Onefiphorus found Paul with the foldier, in his own hired houfe. The cafe I take to be this. Onefiphorus came to Rome upon his own fecular bufinefs. He knew very well, that Paul had been carried thither, as a prifoner. But what was become of him, he did not know: whether he had been fet at liberty, or was still a prifoner, or had been put to death. Upon coming to Rome therefore, not long after Paul had been brought thither, he made anxious inquiries after him. And hearing where Paul was, he readily came to him, notwithftanding his difgraceful circumftances, being chained to a foldier. And fo long as he stayed in Rome, he made the apostle frequent vifits, and afforded him fuch refreshment, as was in his power. 2. Obj. But it is urged, that St. Paul fays, 2 Tim. ii. 9. 1 -Wherein I fuffer, as an evil doer, even unto bonds. To which I answer, that the word, here rendered bonds, is. the fame that is ufed in other epiftles, written during the apoftle's imprisonment at Rome, when fent thither by Feftus. Col. iv. 18. Remember my bonds. MynμovEVETE μs Twv desμav. The fame word is ufed at leaft four times in the epiftle to the Philippians, ch. i. 7, 13, 14, 16. and in Philem. ver. 10. and 13. Hebr. x. 34. And to the Ephefians he fays, ch. iii. 1. I Paul, the prifoner of Jefus Chrift. o deos. And ch. iv. 1. The prifoner of the Lord. Not to mention any other places. When Paul was fo bound, he had reafon to fay, he suffered as an evil-doer, or malefactor, even unto bonds. He was not a malefactor, or notorious offender, nor a criminal: but was innocent in the view of the Roman laws, as well as in point. of reafon, juftice, and equity. But he fuffered, as an evil-doer. Had he not reafon to fay fo, when he was fent bound from Judea to Rome? Had he not been profecuted, as a malefactor? Did not the Jewish multitude, who firft laid hold of him, intend to kill him? Acts xxi. 31-36. xxiii. 27. xxiv. 6. Did not the multitude, who heard him with patience for a quifitione non fuerit opus. Præfertim fi attendamus, facta hæc effe initio vinculorum Pauli, antequam eum celebritatis gradum effet nacWitf. ubi fupra. fect. 12. tus. OUR ETNJXUVON.Et fane quamvis num. vi. 1 Ἐν η κακοπάθω μέχρι δεσμών, ως while, while, at length fay: Away with fuch a fellow. For it is not fit, that he fhould live? ch. xxii. 22. Does not Feftus fay to king Agrippa, and the large affembly at Cæfarea? Ye Jee this man, about whom all the multitude of the Jews have dealt with me, both at Jerufalem, and alfo here, crying, that he ought not to live any longer, ch. xxv. 24. So that he was profecuted as a malefactor all the while that he was in Judea. Nor does it appear, that there was any likelihood of his escape, but by appealing to the emperor. And was he not after all fent bound to Rome, with many obnoxious perfons under the command of a centurion? Certainly, I think, these things afforded fufficient ground for Paul to fay what he does in this place to Timothy. But to infinuate from thefe expreffions, that Paul was now in fome close confinement, his friends debarred access to him, and himself forbid the ufe of pen, ink, and paper, I humbly conceive, is altogether without foundation. It is inconfiftent with the whole tenor of the epiftle, and with the apostle's writing, or enditing, and fending fuch a letter as this to Timothy. Wherein too he defires Timothy to come unto him. St. Paul's imprifonment at Rome, when fent thither by Feftus, was occafioned by his zeal for the liberty of the gentiles, as is manifeft from Acts xxii. 21, 22. Of which he also takes notice, Eph. iii. 1. faying: I Paul, the prisoner of Jefus Chrift, for you gentiles. His imprisonment at Rome, at the time of writing this epiftle, was owing to the fame thing. For he fays here, ch. i. 11, 12. Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apoftle, and a teacher of the gentiles. For the which caufe I alfo fuffer these things. This is very obfervable. And indeed the twelve verfes at the beginning of this epiftle are a moft proper introduction to an epiftle, fent to Timothy by Paul, at the time, for which we argue. Thus the circumftances of Paul's confinement at the time of writing this epiftle, compared with the circumftances of that confinement at Rome, of which St. Luke has given a general account, and in which it is allowed, that St. Paul wrote epiftles to the Ephefians, Philippians, Coloffians, Philemon, fhow it to be one and the fame imprisonment, and that this epifle alfo was written about the fame time with them. 2. St. Luke was with the apoftle at Rome, when he wrote this epiftle, 2 Tim. iv. 11. And we know from the Acts, that he went with Paul from Judea to Rome, when he was fent thither by Feftus. He is likewife mentioned in the epiftles to the Coloffians, and Philemon, written during this imprisonment. But it would be prefumption to fay, that St. Luke was with the apostle at Rome, in another imprisonment, three, or four, or five years after this: efpecially, when we fee, that his hiftory of St. Paul in the book of the Acts concludes with the account of his two years imprisonment at Rome, when sent thither by Feftus. 3. Since the apoftle's coming to Rome, he had had with him, befide Luke, who accompanied him, Demas, Crefcens, Titus, Tychicus, four of his affiftants and fellow-labourers. Which might be likely enough to be expected, when Paul was fent from Judea to Rome. But it cannot be faid to have been likely at any other feafon. But at this it was. For Paul's imprisonment in Judea had lafted above two years. And it must have been known to all gentile Chriftians throughout the world, and obferved by them with astonishment, and grief. And his last appearance before Feftus, and others at Cæfarea, was a very remarkable thing, and must have foon come to the knowledge of all Chriftians in Syria, Afia, Greece, and Italy. At that affembly it was determined, that Paul fhould go to Rome. He took fhipping at Cæfarea with others. He had a long and dangerous voyage. And after fuch an imprisonment in Judea, as that related by St. Luke, with all its circumftances, it may be reckoned highly probable, that fome good number of the apoftle's affectionate friends, efpecially his fellow-labourers, if not too much engaged, fhould form a defign, and do their utmost, to meet him at Rome. It seems to me very likely, that fome fuch perfons fhould with this view get to Rome, before Paul himself. Accordingly, we have feen four fuch perfons mentioned by Paul in this epiftle. It is a ftriking circumftance, and exceedingly favours our argument for the time of this epiftle. 4. Says St. Paul, 2 Tim. iv. 20. Eraftus abode at Corinth: which is agreeable to the account of St. Paul's journey to Jerufalem, as related by St. Luke. For Acts xix. 22. Eraftus is exprefsly mentioned as one of those who miniftred to Paul, whom he fent from Ephefus to Macedonia. Nor is Eraftus among those who went with Paul from Macedonia, Acts xx. 4. It is therefore very likely that he ftayed at Corinth, and did not go with the apoftle to Jerufalem. This Timothy knew Eraftus remanfit Cerinthi.] Fue- redierat, ibique manferat, nec venerat in Macedoniam miffus a Paulo. rat Romam. Grot. in 2 Tim. iv. 20. Acts xix. 22. Deinde Corinthum |