54 HORJE PAULINA. 



edonia, and to come again out of Macedonia unto you, and 

 of you to be brought on my way toward Judea. When 1 

 therefore was thus minded, did I use lightntss ? Or the 

 things that I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, 

 that with me there should be yea, yea, and nay, nay ? But, 

 as God is true, our word toward you was not yea and nay." 

 It appears from this quotation that he had not only intended, 

 but that he had promised them a visit before ; for, other- 

 wise, why should he apologize for the change of his purpose, 

 or express so much anxiety lest this change should be im- 

 puted to any culpable fickleness in his temper ; and lest ho 

 should thereby seem to them as one whose word was not, 

 in any sort, to be depended upon ? Besides which, the terms 

 made use of plainly refer to a promise, *' Our ivord toward 

 you was not yea and nay." St. Paul, therefore, had signi- 

 fied an intention which he had not been able to execute ; 

 and this seeming breach of his word, and the delay of hia 

 visit had, with some who were evil affected towards him, 

 given birth to a suggestion that he would come no more to 

 Corinth. 



XII. C.iap. 5 : 7, 8 : " For even Christ our passover ig 

 sacrificed for us : therefore let us keep the feast, not with 

 old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wicked- 

 ness ; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and 

 truth." 



Dr. Benson tells us, that from this passage, compared 

 with chap. 1G:8, it has been conjectured that this epistle 

 was written about the time of the Jewish passover ; and to 

 me the conjecture appears to be very well founded. The 

 passage to which Dr. Benson refers us is this : " I will tarry 

 at Ephesus until Pentecost." With this passage he ought 

 to have joined another in the same context : " and it may 

 be that I will abide, yea, and winter with you ;" for from 

 the two passages laid together, it follows that the epistle 

 was written before Pentecost, yet after winter, which neces- 

 sarily determines the date to the part of the year within 



