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PHILIPPIANS.

I.-19. 66 For I know that this shall turn to my salvation." By salvation, the Apostle, probably, intends security, or deliverance from temporal evils. He may, however, refer to his own salvation as to the degree or eminence of it. II.-13. "For it is God which worketh in you." The meaning is, God has given you power to choose and act, therefore work out your own salvation.-Clark.

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III.2. Beware of dogs." This may very possibly be an allusion to Isaiah lvi. 10, 11, 12. The Jews used to call the Gentiles dogs, and perhaps St. Paul may use this language, when speaking of their proud bigots, by way of retaliation. (Rev. xxii. 15.) L'Enfant tells us of a custom at Rome, to chain their dogs at the doors of their houses, and to put an inscription over them, Beware of this dog, to which he seems to think these words may refer.-Doddridge.

IV. 3. "The book of life." This expression refers to the custom of those cities which had registers containing the names of all the citizens, from which the names of infamous persons were erased. Agreeably to this we read of names being blotted out of God's book. (Rev. iii. 5.) Those citizens who were orderly and obedient were continued on the roll, from whence they could easily obtain their title to all the immunities and privileges, common to all the members of the city; and to be excluded from these was both disgraceful and injurious.-Burder's Oriental Customs, vol. i. p. 375.

IV.-22. "All the saints salute you, chiefly they that are of Cæsar's household." Irenæus who flourished in the year of Christ, 178, says, Hi, qui in regali aulâ sunt fideles.

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COLOSSIANS.

IL-14. "Blotting out the hand writing," &c. The hand writing, signifies a bill or bond, whereby a person binds himself to some payment or duty, and which stands in force against him till the obligation is discharged. In these words the apostle alludes to the different methods by which bonds formerly were cancelled: one was by blotting or crossing them out with a pen, and another was by striking a nail through them. In either of these cases the bond was rendered useless, and ceased to be valid. These circumstances the apostle ap plies to the death of Christ.-Burder's Oriental Customs, vòl. i. page 376.

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II.-18. "Let no man beguile you of your reward, in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels." This appears to allude to the Essenes, one of the three philosophical sects among the Jews, some of whom were probably residing at Colosse. Josephus says, de Bell. lib. ii. c. 8. " (The Essenes) equally preserve the books belonging to their sect, and the names of the angels.

IV.-16. "Read the epistle from Laodicea." Much controversy has arisen concerning this epistle from Laodicea. The most probable opinion is, that it is the epistle to the Ephesians, which, though particularly addressed to them, was circular, and at that time remaining at Laodicea to be sent next to Colosse.

I- -3.

1 THESSALONIANS.

"Work of faith, labour of love, and patience of hope." All these are Hebraisms, and might more properly be

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rendered, active faith, laborious love, and patient hope.

Ostervald.

II.-15.

"And are contrary to all men." This character of the Jewish nation is confirmed by Tacitus, and expressed almost in the very words of the apostle, "Adversus omnes alios hostile odium."-See Horne's Introduction, vol. iii. p. 374. III.-11.

"God himself and our Father." More cor

rectly, Even our Father.

IV.-15. “Shall not prevent them which are asleep." Non præveniamus eos qui obdormierint:-Beza. The meaning seems to be, that the dead will rise before those, who may then be alive on the earth, will have undergone any change. See the 16th verse.

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2 THESSALONIANS.

-7. "Only he who now letteth, will let, until he be taken out of the way." Namely, the Roman emperor, who would not suffer ecclesiastical power to grow to an exorbitant height: many authors agree in saying, that antichrist was not to appear till after the fall of the Roman empire.See Tillotson's Sermons, vol. ii. p. 193.

II.-8. "Wicked one." More correctly, lawless; one subject to no law. It is remarkable, says Mr. Valpy, in his Greek Testament, that the Pope in the canon law is said to be omni lege humanâ solutus. Nec totus clerus, nec totus mundus potest judicare papam.

-III.

-17. 66 The salutation of Paul with mine own

hand," &c. See note at Galatians vi. 11.

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1 TIMOTHY.

I.-20. "Whom I have delivered unto Satan," &c. Whom I have excommunicated.-Wall.-See 1 Cor. v. 5.

II.-8. "Lifting up holy hands." It was the custom of the heathens to wash themselves before thoy entered their temples, to pay homage to their gods. They thought it a crime to come to the gods with hands unwashed, illotis manibus libare and thus with the Jews before their sacrifices, and solemn prayer, that they might thus express their desire of inward purity.-Valpy's Greek Testament.

III.- -16. "God was manifest in the flesh." On the much litigated question respecting the reading of the word God in the above, Mr. Horne, (Introduction, vol. iv. page 381.) refers the reader to a perspicuous statement of the evidence in Mr. Holden's Scripture Testimonies to the divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ, pp. 181-188. There is an elaborate essay on this passage in the Christian Observer for 1809, vol. i. pp. 271. 277.

V. 1. "Rebuke not an elder." An elder, not in respect to office, but to age.

V.-12. "Having damnation." Exposing themselves to condemnation, by violating their engagement to the church. -Ostervald.

2 TIMOTHY.

11.-3. "Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." The following particulars, collected from Roman authors (Adam's Roman Antiquities), will illus

trate the above passage: "The load which a Roman soldier carried, is almost incredible; victuals (cibaria) for 15 days, sometimes more, usually corn, as being lighter, sometimes drest food (coctus cibus); utensils (utensilia), a saw, a basket, a mattock, an axe, a hook and leather thong, a chain, a pot, &c. stakes, usually three or four, sometimes twelve, the whole amounting to sixty pounds weight, besides arms; for a Roman soldier considered these not as a burden, but as a part of himself, (arma membra milites ducebant.")-See Horne's Introduction, vol. iii. page 212.

II.-6. "The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits." Here seems to be a transposition; it should be the husbandman must first labour, and then, &c. -Doddridge.

III.- -8. "As Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses," &c. Jannes and Jambres were too famous magicians in Egypt, who withstood Moses when he was working miracles before Pharoah. It is remarkable that the former of these is mentioned, together with Moses, by Pliny, and both of them by Numenius the philosopher, quoted in Eusebius, as celebrated magicians.-Ostervald.

IV. 13. "The cloke." Chrysostom and many others, understand by the Greek word, a chest, or strong box, which might contain things of importance. The Syriac interprets it thecam, libris recipiendis aptam.-See Ostervald. Also, Valpy's Greek Testament.

TITUS.

I.-12. "The Cretians are always liars, evil beasts, slow bellies." One of their own prophets, or poets, namely, Epimenides, had given this character of them, that the Cre

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