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your felves from every brother that walketh diforderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.

7 For your felves know how ye ought to follow us for we behaved not our felves diforderly among you. 8 Neither did we eat any man's bread for nought but wrought

live an Idle and Slothful Life, con- A.D. 52.
trary to the express Advices I gave
you .

7 & 8. And to the Example you know I my felf fet you, while I was Preaching among you; earnunwearied Labour, at my Trade; ing my own Living by conftant and and taking nothing of any of your Church toward my Maintenance.

with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable unto any of you.

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Chap. iv. 11. of If. Epift.

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14 And if any man obey not our word by this Epiftle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be afhamed.

15 Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as brother.

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15. I would not, however, have you utterly reject them, like Infidels, from your Chriftian Society; but, along with your Severities and Difcouragements, give them brotherly Admonition and Reproof, in order to reclaim them.

16 Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always, by all means. The Lord be with you all.

17 The falutation of Paul with mine own hand, which is the token in every Epiftle fo I write.

18 The grace of our Lord Jefus Christ be with you all. Amen.

16. Now may God, the Author of our Pardon, Peace, and Happinefs, give you all the Means of Comfort and Happiness, by his continual Prefence with you, and his Providence over you.

17. I here falute you with my own || Hand-writing, as a certain Sign of the Genuineness of my Epiftles, to all that know my Hand.

18. The Love and Favour of our Lord Jefus Chrift be with you all. Amen.

A PARA

A

PARAPHRASE

ON THE

Second Epiftle of St. PAUL

то

TIMOTHY.

The PREFACE to the First and Second Epiftles.

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Hough the Place whence the First of these Epiftles was written, nor indeed the Time be univerfally agreed on; yet one may most probably conclude the latter, with BishopPearfon and Dr.Mill, to have been Anno Domini 65. about two Years after St. Paul's firft Imprisonment and Difcharge at Rome. The chief Design of them both, purfuant to his placing Timothy over the Church of Ephefus, and thofe of the neighbouring Provinces, appears plainly from the Characters and falfe Notions of the Perfons he defcribes; to fupprefs whose malicious Corruptions, the Directions here given are intended. St. Paul's Epistle to this very Church of Ephefus, three Years before, shows the Jewish Zealots to have been the principal Authors of the Irregularities and Difputes there. And upon comparing that with thefe, to the Bifhop, either now actually Refident, or at least in Commiffion there, it seems natural to conclude, that this Faction, which had got but little ground at the Date of that Epiftle, had, by this time,

to the Eph. *See Pref. made § 2.

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made fuch a Progrefs, as to call for a vigorous and timely Suppreffion Which the attentive Reader will, I think, be confirmed in, by obferving how exactly thofe Characters here given, 1 Tim. iv. 6, 7. Chap. iv. and 2 Tim. Chap. iii. do agree to Zealots for the Mofaical Ceremonies and Traditions; and how juftly the feveral Directions in these Epiftles are levell'd at the Prejudices of a Jewish Doctor, or a Chriftian still tainted with Jewish Prejudices. Thus, Prayer for all Men, and in every Place (1 Tim. ii.) are clearly oppofed, the one to their contemptuous Opinion of all other Nations, and even Magistrates, that were of a different Extraction from themselves; the other to that fond Notion, That the Publick Worship of the True God was abfolutely confined to the Jewish Temple and Synagogues. The fame is to be faid of the nice Diftinétion of Meats and Drinks (1 Tim. iv.) and of the Obligation of Servants or Slaves, to Heathen as well as Christian Mafters (1 Tim. vi.) To omit feveral others.

$2. Thefe are the People, and these the Errors the Reader will find to have been the Occafion, not only of thefe, but indeed of moft (not to fay all) of the Epiftolary Writings. And whatever of the earliest Hereticks, viz. Nicholaitans, Carpocratians, Corinthians, Ebionites, &c. (For Dr. Hammond's Gnofticks were not yet formed into à diftinct Sect, at least not so numerous as to infect every Church) may be affirmed by the Ancients, or fuppofed by the Moderns, to have been here, or in other Epiftles referred to; it will be fufficient to anfwer, That even their Herefies were made up of a Jewish Medley, and the Hereticks themselves were, either of Jewish Extraction, or fet up. upon Pretence of Zeal for Jewish Ceremonies and Traditions.

3. As to the Second of these Epiftles, it need only to be obferved, That the moft accurate Chronologers, place it two Years after the former, and from several Expreffions in it, agree it to have been dated from Rome, during the Apoftle's Second Confinement under Nero, and not long before his Martyrdom there. The Subftance of it is clearly of a piece with the first; the prevailing Errors above-mention'd, calling yet for fresh Advices, and Encouragements to Timothy, who was fent to fupprefs them.

CHAP

CHAP. I.

The CONTENTS.

The Title and Salutation. He reminds Timothy of the good End for which he left him at Ephefus; viz. To reduce thofe Converts, who, by the Infinuations of the Jewish Zealots, were intermixing Jewish Doctrines and Traditions with the Chriftian Faith; and raifing warm Difputes about infignificant Matters. Moral Commands of it fill perfectly confiftent with it, and promotive of it. The Apostle's humble and grateful Senfe of the Mercy of his Converfion, and the Honour of his Chriftian Ministry. His Converfion, a great and encouraging Example of Divine Favour to all true penitent Believers, whether Gentiles or Jews. Reminds Timothy of his Call to the Miniftry, and exhorts him to the confcientious Difcharge of it: Warning him, by the InStances of fuch as he had feverely chaftifed, for their Infolence and Immoralities.

AUL an Apoftle 1 & 2. PAUL an Apoftle of Jesus Written

P of Jefus Chrift,
DAL
by the commandment
of God our Saviour,
and Lord Jefus Chrift,
which is our hope;
2 Unto Timothy
myown fon in the
faith grace, mercy
and peace from God
our Father, and Jefus
Chrift our Lord.

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Chrift, by the exprefs A. D.65. Revelation of God our Saviour *, and of Jefus Chrift our Lord and Acts ix. Governour, the Author of all our Hopes of Glory and Happiness, fendeth this Epistle to Timothy, whom I converted, and begat to Chriftianity; wifhing him all Divine Favour and Happiness from God our Supream Father, and Jefus Christ our Lord.

3 & 4. To

* God our Saviour; fome good Copies read corpC iμãn "Inov Xpisy. And Jefus Chrift our Saviour.

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