160 liORTE PAULINiE. 



crepaiicies, which will be noticed below, there is one c ircum- 

 stance which mixes itself with all the allusions in the epis- 

 tle, but does not appear in the history anywhere ; a?id that is 

 of a visit which St. Paul had intended to pay to the Thessa- 

 lonians during the time of his residing at Corinth : "Where- 

 fore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and 

 again; but Satan hindered us." Chap. 2:18. "Night 

 and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, 

 and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith. Now 

 God himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, 

 direct our way unto you." Chap. 3: 10, 11. Concerning 

 a design which was not executed, although the person him- 

 self, who was conscious of his own purpose, should make 

 mention in his letters, nothing is more probable than that 

 his historian should be silent, if not ignorant. The author 

 of the epistle could not, however, have learned this circum- 

 stance from the history, for it is not there to be met with ; 

 nor, if the historian had drawn his materials from the epis- 

 tle, is it likely that he would have passed over a circum- 

 stance which is among the most obvious and prominent oi 

 the facts to be collected from that source of information. 



lY. Chap. 3 : 1, 6, 7 : " Wherefore, when w^e could no 

 longer forbear, we thought it good to be left at Atheiis alone; 

 and sent Timotheus, our brother, and minister of God, and 

 our fellow-laborer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you, 

 and to comfort you concerning your faith. But now, when 

 Timotheus came from you unto us, and brought us good 

 tidings of your faith and charity, .... we were comforted 

 over you in all our affliction and distress by your faith." 



The history relates, that when Paul came out of Mace- 

 donia to Athens, Silas and Timothy stayed behind at Berea. 

 " The brethren sent away Paul, to go as it were to the sea ; 

 but Silas and Timotheus abode there still. And they that 

 conducted Paul brought him unto Athens." Acts 17:14, 15. 

 The history further relates, that after Paul had tarried some 

 time at Athens, and had proceeded from thence to Corinth, 



