her fincerity in the faith, no notice is taken of the other. The mention of the grandmother is the addition of a circumftance not found in the history; but it is a circumftance which, as well as the names of the parties, might naturally be expected to be known to the apoftle, though overlooked by his hiftorian.

No. III.

Chap. iii. ver. 15.

"And that from a

"child thou haft known the holy fcrip66 tures which are able to make thee wife "unto falvation."

This verfe discloses a circumstance which agrees exactly with what is intimated in the quotation from the Acts, adduced in the laft number. In that quotation it is recorded of Timothy's mother, "that he was a Jew"efs." This defcription is virtually, though, I am satisfied, undefignedly, recognized in the epistle, when Timothy is reminded in it, "that from a child he had known the

holy fcriptures." "The holy fcriptures" undoubtedly meant the fcriptures of the Old Testament. The expreffion bears that

fenfe

fense in every place in which it occurs. Those of the New had not yet acquired the name, not to mention, that in Timothy's childhood, probably none of them exifted. In what manner then could Timothy have known" from a child" the Jewish scriptures, had he not been born, on one fide or on both, of Jewish parentage? Perhaps he was not lefs likely to be carefully instructed in them, for that his mother alone profeffed that religion.

No. IV.

Chap. ii. ver. 22. "Flee alfo youthful “lufts, but follow righteousness, faith, cha"rity, peace, with them that call on the "Lord out of a pure heart."

"Flee alfo youthful lufts." The fuitablenefs of this precept to the age of the perfon to whom it is addreffed, is gathered from I Tim. ch. iv. ver. 12; "Let no man de

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fpife thy youth." Nor do I deem the lefs of this coincidence, becaufe the propriety refides in a fingle epithet; or because this, one precept is joined with, and followed by, a train of others, not more applicable to Timothy

mothy, than to any ordinary convert. It is in these transient and curfory allufions that the argument is beft founded. When a writer dwells and reft upon a point in which fome coincidence is difcerned, it may be doubted whether he himself had not fabricated the conformity, and was endeavouring to display and fet it off. But when the reference is contained in a fingle word, unobferved perhaps by moft readers, the writer paffing on to other fubjects, as unconscious that he had hit upon a correfpondency, or unfolicitous whether it were remarked or not, we may be pretty well af fured that no fraud was exercifed, no impofition intended.

No. V.

Chap. iii. ver. 10, 11. "But thou haft "fully known my doctrine, manner of life, "purpose, faith, long-fuffering, charity, "patience, perfecutions, afflictions, which "came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at

"out of them all the Lord delivered me.' The Antioch here mentioned was not

Antioch

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Antioch the capital of Syria, where Paul and Barnabas refided "a long time;" but Antioch in Pifidia, to which place Paul and Barnabas came in their firft apoftolic progrefs, and where Paul delivered a memorable discourse, which is preserved in the thirteenth chapter of the Acts. At this Antioch the history relates, that "the Jews stirred "up the devout and honourable women, "and the chief men of the city, and raised

perfecution againft Paul and Barnabas, and "expelled them out of their coafts. But "they shook off the duft of their feet against "them, and came unto Iconium . And "it came to pass in Iconium, that they went "both together into the fynagogue of the "Jews, and fo fpake that a great multitude "both of the Jews and also of the Greeks "believed; but the unbelieving Jews stirred "up the Gentiles, and made their minds. “evil-affected against the brethren. Long "time therefore abode they speaking boldly "in the Lord, which gave teftimony unto "the word of his grace, and granted figns "and wonders to be done by their hands. "But the multitude of the city was divided ;

" and

❝and part held with the Jews, and part with "the apostles. And when there was an "affault made both of the Gentiles and alfo "of the Jews, with their rulers, to use them "defpitefully and to ftone them, they were “aware of it, and fled unto Lyftra and Derbe, "cities of Lycaonia, and unto the region that "lieth round about, and there they preached "the gofpel.... And there came thither "certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, "who perfuaded the people, and having "ftoned Paul, drew him out of the city, fuppofing he had been dead. Howbeit, "as the disciples ftood round about him, he "rofe up and came into the city; and the

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next day he departed with Barnabas to "Derbe: and when they had preached the "gospel in that city, and had taught many, "they returned again to Lyftra, and to Ico"nium, and to Antioch." This account' comprises the period to which the allufion in the epiftle is to be referred. We have fo far therefore a conformity between the hiftory and the epiftle, that St.Paul is afferted in the hiftory to have fuffered perfecutions in* the three cities, his perfecutions at which

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