by feveral fnatches in the day: but this is by no means the worst part of my prefent cafe, for the humour that has fallen into my eyes about a year ago rather increases than decreases, and to a degree that makes writing and reading very troublesome to me, as they were the only comforts that a deaf old fellow could have: if I should lofe my eyes as well as my ears, I fhould be of all men the most miserable.

"You know that you have long been in poffeffion of cloathing me; and I must now apply to you to do fo again, not only as an act of friendship, but of charity, for I have not a shirt to my back. I therefore must beg of you to procure me fome Irish linen to make me four dozen of fhirts, much about the fame fineness and price of the last which you got me. I know you too well to make any excufes for giving you this trouble. Adieu! my dear lord, you know my fentiments with regard to you, too well for me to mention them. I am, Moft fincerely and faithfully,

Yours,

CHESTERFIELD."

MY DEAR LORD,

TO THE SAME.

London, Aug. 15, 1770. “The linen, which you were fo kind as to procure me, dropped out of the clouds into my house in town last week, and is declared, by better judges than I am, very good, and very cheap. I fhall not thank four for it, but on the contrary expect your thanks for giving you an opportunity of doing what always gives you pleafure, cloathing the naked. I am fure that, could you equally relieve all my wants, you would; but there is no relief for the miferies of a crazy old age, patience; and as I have many of Job's ills, I thank God, I have fome of his patience too, and I confider my prefent wretched old age as a just compenfation for the follies, not to fay fins, of my youth.

but

"I fend you here inclosed fome melon-feed, of the beft and largest canteloup kind, and alfo of the green Perfian fort, as much as I can venture at one time with the post; but as none can be fown at this time of the year, I will from time to time fend you more, so that you shall have of different kinds before the feafon. Adieu, my dear lord; my eyes will have it fo."

TO THE SAME.

MY DEAR LORD,

London, Aug. 12, 1771.

"I received your kind letter three days ago, and make hafte to acknowledge it, never knowing nor gueffing what may happen to me from ope day to another. I am most prodigiously old, and every month of the kalendar adds at least a year to my age. My hand trembles to that degree that I can hardly hold my pen, my understanding stutters, and my memory tumbles. I have exhaufted all the phyfical ills of Pandora's box, without finding hope at the bottom of it; but who can hope at feventy-leven? One muft only feek for little comforts at that age. One

of

of mine is, that all my complaints are rather teazing than torturing; and my lot, compared with that of many other people's, who deferve a better, feems rather favourable. Philofophy, and confidence in the mercy of my Creator, mutually affift me in bearing my fhare of phyfical ills, without murmuring."

To these letters to the Bishop of Waterford are added fomeothers to Thomas Prior, Efq; a gentleman of Ireland, of whom mention is made in the Memoirs. There are also added two or three Letters already published, that paffed about the year 1730, between Lord Chesterfield and Dean Swift: Alfo two political Epiftles to the Earl of Stair; but having extended this article to a confiderable length, we fhall take our leave of it, with obferving that we are a little disappointed in not finding our noble author's poetical effufions contained in this voluminous mifcellany. Perhaps the ingenious editor had as little tafte for poetry, as regard for poets, and therefore thought them unworthy notice.

W.

A Commentary, with Notes, on the four Evangelifts and the Acts of the Apofles; together with a new Tranflation of St. Paul's first Epifle to the Corinthians, with a Paraphrafe and Notes. To which are added other Theological Pieces. By Zachariah Pearce, D. D. late Lord Bishop of Rochester. To the whole is prefixed, fome Account of his Lordship's Life and Character, written by himself. Published from the original Manufcripts, By John Derby, A. M. bis Lordship's Chaplain, and Rector of Southfleet and Longfield. 2 vols. 4to, Cadell.

(Continued from Page 192.)

To our venerable author's tranflation and paraphrafe, on St. Paul's firft epiftle to the Corinthians, is prefixed the following advertisement; written, we are told, about eight months before his decease.

"It may feem no Recommendation of the following Work, for the Author to inform his Readers, that it was drawn up above fifty Years ago, viz. in the Years 1720 and 1721, and that in the Year 1728 twelve Copies of it were printed for his own private Ufe; unlefs, at the fame time, he could inform them that it has received fome Alterations, which, he hopes, are Improvements, as in the Advance of his Age his Judgement increased, and as he met in his Reading Things worthy of being obferved for the Purpofe. The Alterations indeed were not many, nor very confiderable: But fuch as the Work now is he offers it to the Publick, as what he hopes will make the true Meaning of the Apostle, in many Places of this Epiftle, better understood, than they have [it has] been generally hitherto."

It is, indeed, remarkable that in the few lines he has noticed in his memoirs, he has fo mifquoted them as to deprive them of their greatest propriety and beauty.

VOL. V.

L1

It

It would be doing injuftice to the tranflator not to own that his verfion though not altogether unexceptionable, is in many places more accurate than any other we have met with. The critical reader will form a judgement, in fome degree, for himfelf from the following fpecimen; accompanied by the paraphrase and no.es.

"In this fection St. Paul complains of the divifions among the Corinthians, againft which he argues and exhorts feveral ways. This fection begins at ver. 10. of the 1ft chap. and lafts to the end of the 4th chap. but in the latter part of the 17th ver. of chap. 1. St. Paul digreffes upon his manner of preaching the Gofpel, and fays, that it was not done by human wifdom, but by the wisdom of heaven, and by the power of miracles wrought in confirmation of that wifdom: and this digreffion, which is one of the largest in this epiftle, reaches from the middle of the 17th ver. of the 1ft chap. to the end of the zd chap.

Chap. I. ver. 10-
TEXT.

10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jefus Chrift, that ye all speak the fame thing, and that there be no (G) divifions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the fame mind and the fame judge

ment:

11 This I fay, for thofe, who are of the family of Chloe, have informed me concerning you, my brethren, that there are contentions among you:

-end of Chap. IV.

12 And I fpeak this, because every one of you faith, I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, (H) and I of Christ.

PARAPHRASE.

10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jefus Chrift, that ye have no difference of opinions and party appellations among you, and that there be no divifions among you, but that ye be all united in one mind and in one judgement: 11 For I am told, my brethren, by fome of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you: 12 and I fay contentions, because ye all name yourselves from different leaders; one crying, I am a follower of Paul; another, I am of Apollos; and another, I am of Cephas or Peter. What can ye mean by

NOT E S.

(G) Divifions, oxioμala] It does not appear, that the Corinthians feparated communion one from another; which is now a-days the sense of the word fchifms, put here in the margin of our Bible: the word oxiopala in this verfe is explained by what St. Paul adds, viz. that they did not all Speak the fame thing, and were of different minds and judgments; which may be, and yet communion not be broken: and the word axíopa fignifies ftill lefs in ch. xi. 18. fee my note there.

(H) And I of Chrift] I fufpect that these words were not in the original, and are not genuine. Methinks it is not reasonable to fuppofe, that any Corinthians

3

TEXT.

13 Hath Chrift been divided? was Paul crucified upon your account? or were ye baptized into the name of Paul?

14 I thank GOD that I baptized none of you, except Crifpus and Gaius:

15 (I) So that no one can fay, that ye were baptized into my

name:

NOT

PARAPHRASE.

this? 13 Is Chrift divided? are there any true followers of his, that preach contrary one to another? or why must you be denominated from apofties only? for was it Paul who was crucified for you? or were you baptized into the name of Paul? no, whoever of you were baptized, and whoever baptized you, ye were baptized into the name of Chrift. 14 I am extremely glad and thankful to GoD, that I baptized none of you, except Crifpus and Gaius; 15 fo that no one can say, that ye were baptized into my name, I not fo much as baptizing the ge

E S.

Corinthians had heard Chrift preach, and therefore profeffed to follow him only all which they learned concerning Chrift, they learned from the Apoftles and other teachers; and they therefore followed fome teacher or other, and called themfelves Followers of that their Teacher. Besides, in the following verfe it is faid, is Chrift divided? which fuppofes Chrift the common fubject, that all the feveral teachers went upon, and inftructed the Corinthians in: it would not therefore have been pioper to fay (is Chrift divided?) if Chrift had been one particular, from which a party among them pretended to take their name and doctrine. Again, in ch. iii. 22. St. Paul, alluding to these words, has there only, Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, &c. without mentioning Chrift, unlefs in the next verfe, as the common leffon, which all the teachers whatsoever professed to inftruct them in. Lastly, to ftrengthen this fufpicion of mine, it may be proper to produce a paffage of Clement in his first epiftle to the Corinth. ch. xlvii. which in Archbishop Wake's tranflation runs thus, Take the Epifle of the bleed Paul into your hands: what was it that be wrote to you in the very beginning of his inftructions to you? Verily he did by the Spirit admonifb you concerning himself, and Cephas, and Apollos, forafmuch as even then ye had begun to fall into parties and factions. These words feem to refer to this place of St. Paul, and take no manner of notice of any, who called themselves (feparately from the reft) followers of Chrift.

(1) So that no one of you can fay, "Iva μn i ] Which our Eng. verfion renders left any should say. But I think it is not rightly rendered; because the reafon, why St. Paul baptized no more, feems to have been founded upon the commiffion which Chrift gave him (fee ver. 17.) and not upon a forefight of any ill ufe which his baptizing them fhould occafion : I have therefore rendered ira μý ris nḥ, so that no one can fay: it expreffes not the defign, but merely the event. This fenie of va is often mentioned by commentators upon the Gofpels, where a prophefy is faid to be fulfilled by fome action of our Saviour: and there cannot be a fuller proof of the use of this particle in this fenfe, than in Rev, xiii. 13. xal wat onμsia psyáña, ἵνα καὶ πῦρ ποιῆ καταβαίνειν ἐκ τῶν Οὐρανῶ, and he doth great wonders,

L12

that

T E X T. 16 And I baptized alfo the houfe of Stephanas; as for the reft, I know not, whether I baptized any other:

17 For Chrift fent me (K) not fo much to baptize, as to preach the Gofpel: to preach it, I fay; but (L) not with the doctrine of wifdom, left the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.

12.

PARAPHRASE.

nerality of you at all. 16 I remember likewife that I baptized the family of Stephanas: I do not recollect, whether I baptized any others or no: 17 and the reafon indeed why I baptized fo few, is, that Chrift fent me rather to teach than to baptize; there being many more qualified for the latter office than for the former. I fay that I was fent to teach the Gospel, but not with the doctrine of hunan wifdom, nor with human art and eloquence, left by that means our preaching the cross of Chrift fhould be in vain; it being natural for those who are perfuaded of any thing by oratory, to quit that opinion again foon, when once the fhort effect of that artful and fo

that he maketh, &c. In this light the following texts may be confidered; John v. 20. and 2 Cor. i. 17. and vii. 9. and Galat. v. 17. and Rev. viii. To this note let me add, that I prefer (and have accordingly tranflated) the reading of the Alex. MS. and many other MSS. and Verfions which have Colon inftead of ahoa: which laft is not fo clear a reading, without pas or fome limitation of it.

(K) Not fo much to baptize, as to preach] The Greek is & Bank, ánλ' ivalyeniçeoba: the writers of the O. and N. Teft. do almost every where (agreeably to their Hebrew idiom) exprefs a preference given to one thing before another, by an affirmation of that which is preferred, and a negation of that which is contrary to it: and fo it must be understood here; for if St. Paul was not at all fent to baptize, thofe few whom he did baptize, he baptized without a commiffion: but, if he was fent not only to baptize but to preach alfo, or to preach rather than baptize, he did in fact difcharge his duty aright. The abovementioned obfervation concerning the Jewish way of fpeaking, may give light into the following texts: in the N. Teft. Matthew vi. 19, 20. and ix. 13. compared with Hofca vi. 6. and alfo Mat thew x. 20. and xii. 7. Luke xxiii. 28. Mark ix. 37. John vi. 27. and vii. 16. and ix. 4. and xii. 44. Acts v. 4. Rom. ix. 13. and in 1 Cor. vii. 4. and ix. 8. and x. 24. and xv. 10. Ephef. vi. 12. Col. iii. 2. Heb. xiii. 9. and 1 Feter iii. 3, 4. 1 John ii. 15. As alfo in the O. Teft. Gen. xxxii. 28. and Prov. xxx. 8, 9. And thus Jofephus in his Antiq. ii. 9. 2. & xab'ŏ παίδων ἀπεσερᾶνο· -áðλà nai, &c. not only, or not so much, that thereby they were to lose their children--as, &c. Ib. iv. 8. 2. & μéxpı Tỡ deŭpo iμív τήσει τὴν αὐτῷ πρόνοιαν, ἀλλὰ, &c. God will not only bitberto be your Protector, but, &c.

(L) Not with the doctrine of wisdom] The Greek words are x i» coţia Aéye, and our tranflation has, not with the wisdom of words; the Syr.

feems