been.' In ver. 2, for 'was not' should stand 'springeth not' or 'cometh not.' The Apostle is speaking, not of what his exhortation was when he was with them, but of its general character: compare 'Even so we speak' (not 'spoke'), below. In ver. 4, 'were allowed' should be 'have been approved.' In ver. 7 the expression 'even as a nurse cherisheth her children' is open to mistake, besides being an insufficient rendering of the original words. It may be supposed that the 'nurse' is a mere hired servant, and the children hers, merely as entrusted to her. But the original has, as if a nurse should cherish HER OWN children: and the best way of conveying the meaning in English would be to render, 'like as when a nursing-mother cherisheth her own children.' In ver. 8, 'souls' ought to be 'lives.' In ver. 10, among' should be toward.'* In ver. 12, hath called' should be 'calleth.' In ver. 14, 'followers' is better rendered literally, 'imitators.' In ver. 15, 'have persecuted' should be 'drove out.' In ver. 16, 'is come' should became.' The meaning is somewhat obscure,

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* I may be allowed to mention, that in my "New Testament for English Readers" there is a misprint in the text of ver. ii. The words 'every one of you' should come after 'comforting you,' and not in their present position.

and therefore the original tense should be carefully kept. The present English version gives the impression that the destruction of Jerusalem had passed, whereas it did not happen till eighteen years after.

Ch. iii. 2, 'comfort' should probably be 'exhort.' 'God even our Father, should be 'God and our Father,' i. e., 'Him who is our God and

Ver. 13,

Father.'

Ch. iv. 1, 'by the Lord Jesus' should be in the Lord Jesus,' i. e. literally as the original. The expression is not a form of adjuration, but sets forth the holy element in which his exhortation was made. In ch. v. 29, the expression is quite a different one. In the same verse 'have received' ought to be 'received.' He means when he was with them and taught them. In ver. 4, how to possess his vessel' is a mis-translation. It should be 'how to acquire his own vessel,' and it means, how to take a wife who might be his own lawful vessel for that purpose which the sin in question carried out unlawfully. In ver. 6 again, the sense is utterly confused by a mistake of our translators, By rendering in any matter,' they have made it appear as if the sin of defrauding another, gene

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rally, were that against which the Apostle is warning: and thus the whole passage becomes incoherent, and loses its solemn force. The words which they have rendered in any matter,' stand in the original 'in the matter,' i. e., in this matter, which is now in hand, viz., the unclean lusts of the flesh. The Apostle is speaking in language somewhat veiled, for decency's sake. In the same verse, 'have forewarned' should be forewarned ;' and in the next verse, hath not called us' should be 'calleth us not;' and the next should proceed, 'for uncleanness, but in sanctification.' In the next verse, 'who hath also given' ought to be 'who also gave.' In ver. 13, for others' should stand 'the rest.' In ver. 14, 'sleep in Jesus' ought to be 'fell asleep through Jesus,' i. e., by his merits. have had their death turned into sleep. Sleep in Jesus' is a beautiful and true expression: but it is not the one used here. In the same verse, 'with him' may be misunderstood. 'Him' does not refer to God, but to Jesus: will God bring, at the same time, that He brings HIM, Jesus, through whom they fell asleep. It would be better, therefore, to express it, 'together with Him,' which can hardly be mistaken. In ver. 15, 'shall not

prevent' would be much better expressed shall in no wise have the advantage of.' In ver. 17 it is necessary to notice that 'together' does not belong to 'with them :' it is not, shall be caught up, together with them, to meet the Lord,' but 'shall be caught up together, with them, to meet the Lord.' To make this plain, I have in my revised text inserted the word 'all' 'shall be caught up all together, with them, to meet the Lord.'

Ch. V. I: 'ye have no need that I write unto you' is literally 'ye have no need to be written unto.' The Authorised Version puts 'I' into too much prominence. It seems as if some one else might be thought of, who ought to write to them on this point. In ver. 5, the children' ought to be 'sons' (twice). Ver. 6, 'others' should be 'the rest.' Ver. 9, 'hath not appointed us' should be 'appointed us not.' In ver. 10, 'together,' again, is not to be joined to 'with Him,' but it should be read, 'should live together, with Him.' In ver. 15, the words should stand, 'both toward one another, and toward all.' The preposition is the same in both clauses. Ver. 22 as it stands in our version is undoubtedly wrong, and has

misled many persons, who have thought it to be an injunction to abstain even from that which seems evil,-to avoid all chance of offence. The words mean nothing of the kind, but merely this: 'Abstain from every form of evil,' i. e., 'from every species,' 'every kind, of evil.' And they correspond with the former member of the sentence, which should be divided, further, by a comma only, 'Hold fast that which is good, abstain from every kind of evil.'