partlcule.r trnnee.ctlon to which St. Pe.nl le Ver. 18.-To find for that lui may .finn, olluding, e.nd which wae known to Timothy A.V.; ministered for minidered unto me, though it ie not known to ue. Perhaps he A.V. (The Lord grant unto him). The ho.d opplied to certain Aeintice, whether parenthesis seems only to be required on Christians or Jews or Grmco-Romans, for a the supposition that the words o<,111 a.bTcp b teetimony to hie orderly conduct in Asia., K6p,os <up,iv (,\,as, 1<.T,l\., are a kind of play e.nd they had reruaed it; or they may have on the ,ip,v of the preceding verse. Other- been e.t Rome at the time, nnd o.voidecl St. wise it is better to take the words e.a e. new Pe.nl; o.nd among them Phygelue e.nd sentence. The repetition of" the Lord" is Hermogeues, whose conduct mo.y have been remarkable, but nothing seems to hang upon po.rticulo.rly u11gro.teful ancl unexpected. it. The second 1ra.pa. Kuplou seems to suppose Nothing is known of either of them. the Lord sitting on the judgment-throne. Ver. 16.-Grant for give, A.V. Gre.nt As regards the amount of encouragement meroy ('6r,11 (,\,a,). Thie connection of the given by this passage to prayers for the words is only found here. The house of dead (supposing Onesiphorus to have been 0nesiphorus. It is inferred from this ex- dead), the mere expression of a piollS wish or pression, conpled with that in eh. iv. 19, hope that he may find mercy is a very slender that Onesiphorue himself was no longer foundation on which to build the snper- living; and hence ver, 18 (where see note) etructure of prayer and Masses for the is thought by some to he e.n argument for deliverance of souls from purgatory. In prayers for the dead. The inference, further how many things, etc. St. Paul doee. not strengthened by the peculiar language of say, as the A.V. makes him say, that Onesi- ver. 18, though not absolutely certain, is phorue "ministered unto him" at Ephesus. undoubtedly probable. The connection It may have been so, bnt the words do not between this and the preceding verse is the necessarily mean this. "What good service contrast between the conduct of Phygelus he did at Ephesus" would faithfully repre- and Hermogenes and that of Oneeiphoros. sent the Greek words; and this might They repudiated all acquaintance with the describe great exertions me.de by Onesi- apostle in his day of trial ; he, when he was phorus after his return from Rome to in Rome, diligently sought him and with procure the apostle's acquittal and release difficulty found him, and oft refreshed him by the intercession of the principal perBons with Christian sympathy and communion, at Ephesus.' This would, of co1USe, be known acting with no less courage than love. He to Timothy. It may, however, describe the was no longer on earth to receive e. prophet's ministerial le.bonrs and services of Onesi- reward (Matt. x. 41 ), but St. Paul prays that phorus at EpheSUB after his retnrn from he may receive it in the day of Christ, and Rome, or it may refer to former ministra- that meanwhile God may requite to his tions when Paul end Timothy were at family the mercy he had showed to St. Paul. Ephesus together (see lntrocluction). There Refreshed me (cl.v.,i,u{<v); literally, retlived seem to he no materials for arriving at abso- me. Only here in the New Testament, bnt lute certainty on the point. comp. Acts iii. 19. Cha.in (c!l,\uow); in the singular, as Eph. vi. 20; Acts xxviii. 20 1 An e.lmost identice.l exple.ne.iion ill ( where see note). suggested by Hofmann, as quoted by Ver. 17.-Sought for sought out, A.V.; Huther in e. note to thie passage. diligently for very diligently, A.V. and T.R.
HOMILETICS. Vers.1-7.-Reminiscences. A ring once given to an old and loved friend, who in later lite bad been cut off from the former loving intercourse by the inevitable course of events, bore this touching inscription, "Care. memorie. dei primit"ri anni" (?ear n:emory _of old times). 'l.'he mcm?ries of a happ)'. unclouded youth_, of youthful _friendships, of Joyous days, of pursuits ht up by se.ngmne hopes and bright_ exi:iectatwns, are rndeed of~e11 among the most precious treasures of the bee.rt. And m_ like manner the r~collect10n of former triumphs of faith in days of dark doubt and difficulty, of temptations over- come, of victories gained, of grace received, of work done for Go~, of Christian inter- course with God's saints and happy hours of prayer, and treadmg underfoot all the powers of darkness, nre n'ot only bright lights illumine.ting the past journey of life, but are often among our strongest incentives to perseverance, and our best encouragements to hold f11st the profession of onr faith without w11vering. St. Paul, that great master in the knowledge of human nature, knew this weli. And so with inimitable skill-a akill heightened and sot olf by the warm affections of a tender heart-he calls hac,k 8 THE SEOOND EPISTLE TO TIMOTHY. [oa. L 1-18.